ZTE is losing its network. How reliable are ZTE smartphones? Are they worth buying? Blade A610 ZTE smartphones

Equipment

The Blade GF3 is sold in typical packaging for the series. Looks nice.

The equipment of the device is minimal:

1. Power supply with cable.
2. Warranty card.

There is nothing more. No headphones, no bumper, not even a film for the screen.

Appearance

Externally, the phone is no different from its counterparts in the series ZTE Blade latest models: It has the same touch buttons, similar design. Strange, but there is no blue rim on the main camera.

The thickness of the smartphone is 9.4 mm.

The screen of the smartphone measures 4.5 inches and has a resolution of 854x480, made according to TFT technology. These were “in fashion” a couple of years ago and are not relevant now (we are not talking about the screen size, but the technology and characteristics), but the undoubted advantage of this type of screen is that it will not drain the battery much.

Below the screen there are three touch buttons: a central circle-shaped one - “home” and two dots - “back” and “menu”. There is a speaker above the screen and front camera.

At the back, in addition to the protruding camera with flash, there is a hole for the speaker and an engraving with a logo. The cover is matte and does not collect fingerprints; the smartphone will not slip in your hands.

Bottom: microphone. Top: headphone jack.

On the right: a volume rocker, a lock button and a hook for opening the lid. Left: microUSB connector.

The display is not bright; in sunny weather it will be difficult to see anything on it.

Multi-touch with just two touches.

Connection

ZTE Blade GF3 supports two micro SIM cards. They can only be installed by removing the battery.

The connection is stable. There is 3G support.

When you first start, you must select the main SIM card that will work in 3G mode. Then you can change this in the settings. It is also possible to select a SIM card for data transfer and calls. If desired, you can turn off one slot.

After launching the smartphone, “Public Alerts” messages immediately began to arrive from readable text(displayed in the form of hieroglyphs). The interval between messages ranged from two to five minutes. Even disabling all types of notifications did not help.

I tried to disable the “Public Alert” application of the same name, but it did not help. The problem was resolved by the update, so this is unlikely to happen in the future.

In the communication settings, you can select the operating mode of the main SIM card - 3G/2G or only 2G. Access points and network operators are set for both SIM cards in the device settings. The communication level is -75dBm, quite low. This means that in a basement, underground parking lot, and similar places, the phone will not receive a signal from a cellular operator.

The ZTE Blade GF3 phone has a proximity sensor, light sensor and an accelerometer. No electronic compass. GPS satellites It takes a long time to search, the first launch took about 20 minutes.

operating system

The smartphone runs on new Android 5.0. In the settings you can see that the model is called ZTE T320.

Upon checking, it turned out that there is new software (size 20 MB), which optimizes some system functions and fixes some bugs. The bug with notifying the population during the update corrected itself, unreadable broadcast messages stopped coming. Build number after update ZTE_T320_RUV1.0.0B04. Android has been updated to version 5.0.1.

Access to quick settings This is done using a pull-down curtain on top, where you can enable or disable Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth and some others.

Minimum applications installed:

You can add Facebook accounts, Google, Shazam, Twitter and email accounts.

Used to enter text Google keyboard or TouchPal.

The settings menu is no different from other Android 5 smartphones.

Default left touch button“back”, and the right one is “menu”, but you can change this in the settings.

If you hold down the "menu" button, a list will open latest apps. And when you hold down the home button - Google Now.

The smartphone has a “Family” mode, when launched, the application requires permission to read contacts, SMS, and communication settings. Advantages of the mode: large font Super Clear, an easy way to send SMS or make calls, there is an SOS mode. There are 8 button tiles on the screen. This could be Contacts, Messages, or other apps.

In short, in this mode the smartphone turns into something like a “grandmother’s phone” - big buttons and simplified management.

Performance

Quad-core processor, Spreadtrum SC7731 with a frequency of 1.3 GHz with graphics accelerator Mali-400MP.

The result of AnTuTu Benchmark 5.7.1 is 17,625 points.

Vellamo Mobile Benchmark in the browser test gives a result of 1,611. In the Metal test, 616, and multicore - 842. Performance is approximately Samsung level Nexus 10.

In NemaMark2 v2.4 the performance is 59.7fps.

Quadrant Standard Edition gives the result at the level HTC One X - 4,362.

Multimedia

The Blade GF3 smartphone plays and quietly plays video in FullHD format. AnTuTu Video Test gives 394 points.

Memory

Memory capacity - 8 GB. 4.8 GB is available to the user, the rest is used by the system (1.08 GB), pre-installed applications(0.93 GB) and other files.

Volume RAM— 1 GB. Half is free. The system uses 286 MB. After installing updates and additional applications There may not be enough RAM.

When connecting to a computer, you can select several options for how your smartphone behaves: USB storage (connects an SD card as a flash drive), USB modem, MTP or PTP device, charging only, USB virtual device(for installing drivers).

The ZTE Blade GF3 has two cameras: a front camera and an 8 MP main camera. Minimum settings for photography: timer, HDR mode and turning on the flash.

Battery

The Blade GF3 uses a battery with a capacity of 1850 mAh. With moderate use (calls, internet, geolocation, SMS), the battery lasts for a day and a half. Charges in one and a half to two hours.

Before the software update there were some problems with the battery level - it reported that it was running low, but when connected charger The smartphone wrote that the charge level was 50%. After the update, the level began to display correctly.

To conclude the review

ZTE did it good smartphone with good filling and a pleasant price tag. In addition, it can be considered as a sensory device for older people, thanks to the Family mode. On the other hand, you can use Necta Launcher for these purposes by downloading it from Google Market(makes the interface convenient for elderly and visually impaired people). Disadvantage of the phone - poor reception satellite signal. This is not for frequent navigation. best option. Otherwise, at a minimum, this is a device that matches its price.

The trade war between the US and China is gaining momentum, and relatively old stories are being brought out from under the carpet that could cause real damage. So far, only the United States is attacking, while China has taken a wait-and-see attitude and is in no hurry to respond. And if initially the telecom participated in this trade war indirectly, apart from the constant statements of government officials in the United States that Huawei and ZTE are spying on America and the residents of the country, which no one bothered to confirm with facts, now the situation is completely different. In 2016, the United States accused ZTE of supplying equipment to Iran, which was under American sanctions. The volume of the deal for the supply of infrastructure equipment was about $130 million, and, in addition to the supply own decisions, ZTE also resold products from Microsoft, Oracle and several others American companies. After an investigation into that delivery began in the United States, ZTE decided to cooperate as much as possible and even agree that they violated the terms of the sanctions. This resulted in a fine of $890 million, with an additional $300 million that could be imposed on the company if it violates the terms of the agreement.

At this point, someone may wonder what US sanctions have to do with the Chinese company ZTE, whose headquarters are located in Shenzhen and they are not directly related in any way. The answer is simple, although it does not sound very logical - many of ZTE’s developments use intellectual property that belongs to American companies and, accordingly, is subject to restrictions. For example, when Qualcomm licenses its patents and developments, it specifically stipulates that they are subject to government regulation USA and if the same sanctions occur, they cannot be sold under threat of termination of the contract and fines.

Formally, the situation looks like ZTE agreed with the fine and tried to minimize the consequences of the sanctions, since they actively buy components for infrastructure and smartphones from American companies, including software. It is possible that, on a conceptual level, the company internally perceived a fine of almost a billion dollars as the price that had to be paid for a specific case.

But it so happened that the US wanted blood, and the ZTE case was again taken out of the closet. It is considered a violation of the agreement that ZTE, according to the US Department of Commerce, knowingly misled or lied to the American government. In particular, according to US requirements, it was necessary to fire top managers involved in the transaction, punish everyone who participated in such discussions and support of the transaction on the part of ZTE, and deprive of payments and bonuses related to the transaction. In March 2018, it turned out that ZTE did not do this in full, which was the reason for the sanctions. Something tells me that the letter of the law was not followed here, but rather that this punishment was withheld until better times, if necessary. Which is what happened now.

The US sanctions against ZTE prohibit any US company from selling or licensing products and technologies, and the same restrictions apply to any non-US company that owns such products. That is, formally, if I suddenly buy optics for smartphones from an American company, and then sell these lenses to ZTE, I will violate the sanctions regime and, in theory, could also fall under sanctions. It sounds terribly stupid, but that’s exactly how it works, the purpose of sanctions is to create a scorched earth around the company in order to cause maximum damage.

It is possible that ZTE was chosen as a target because the company is traditionally associated with the Chinese government, which invested money in it (these were cheap loans, the Chinese government is not directly involved in ZTE’s activities, at least on paper the company is independent).

The duration of the sanctions is seven years, that is, until the spring of 2025, ZTE will not be able to receive any technologies and products from the United States or from companies that produce them using American technologies. And here I have bad news regarding the company's smartphones.

A side effect of sanctions – ZTE smartphones are under threat

The ZTE smartphone line includes models built on chipsets from both Qualcomm and MediaTek. And if the first company is American, then the second is Taiwanese, and, at first glance, it has no restrictions on the supply of components to ZTE. In fact, everything is not so obvious here, since MediaTek has a number of patents that belong to American companies and the current chipsets are built on them. And it’s only a matter of the desire of American officials - to ban sales of MediaTek chipsets to ZTE or not, that is, they can turn a blind eye for the time being. And then do exactly the same thing as was done with the proceedings surrounding the supply of equipment to Iran.

I don’t know about you, but this approach confuses me, since it actually gives preferences to one country in who can produce smartphones and how, and limits competition in the market. We have a precedent that can be used in the future to put pressure on any manufacturer under any pretext. For example, if a company refuses to provide a “back door” for spying on users, then under a plausible pretext you can refuse to supply it with components. Huawei, for example, realizing this, is developing native chipsets, minimizing dependence on other people’s intellectual property as much as possible, this is a strategic plan. ZTE did not do this, as a result, now they will have to figure out a way to get around the restrictions from the United States.

I don’t think that there will be any catastrophe for ZTE in the field of smartphones, the company is not very strong in this area and in theory it could even stop producing them, nothing terrible will happen. ZTE makes its main sales in infrastructure, where the consequences of sanctions are much more noticeable and severe.

But there is one market where ZTE's position is noticeably higher than in other countries, this is North America. In 2017, the share of ZTE smartphones in this region was 12.2%, that is, the company is fourth after Apple, Samsung and LG. And this is a significant market for ZTE sales. Considering that in the United States there is an informal ban on the sale of smartphones with chipsets other than Qualcomm, ZTE simply has no chance of remaining in this market. The company is guaranteed to lose it, and its place will be taken by South Korean manufacturers - Samsung and LG. In theory, one could expect the appearance of other Chinese players, but they either do not have models of the same level as ZTE on Qualcomm, or are too weak for operators to pay attention to them.

The loss of a key market may result in a reduction in R&D costs, that is, the smartphone division will begin to produce fewer models, and this will be noticeable. IN at the moment The top devices of the Axon line are already in question, since they use Snapdragon processors.

In Russia, ZTE's main sales come from inexpensive models, built on MediaTek chipsets, therefore, the company’s share and its position in the market will remain virtually unchanged. All changes will be dictated solely general position affairs, changing the product line.

It’s interesting that not only ZTE, but also American companies suffer from sanctions; this is a double-edged sword. The first to feel the problem were optical manufacturers (for example, Acacia Communications Inc); these are American companies, of which up to a third of their turnover comes from orders from ZTE.

Shares of Qualcomm and MediaTek practically did not react to the story around ZTE.

On the other hand, ZTE’s business was already sagging; if in 2016 the company shipped 60 million smartphones to the market, then in 2017 it was a quarter less, only 45 million. Therefore, in the long term, the loss North America will lead to more greater reduction sales, which should raise the question of the need to maintain a large model range smartphones and engage in this area. ZTE has no reasons for this, it’s only a matter of time when it will be necessary to make a decision about what to do next and whether it is worth developing this direction.

In my opinion, no steps will be taken in the next year, but then the company will gradually begin to abandon the smartphone business, since it will not be profitable and will be uninteresting with declining sales. You can look at this year as the time when ZTE employees will be asked to achieve the feat of selling as many smartphones as possible. But they definitely won’t be able to do this, since similar tasks were set before, but nothing happened.

Of course, we have before our eyes examples where the smartphone business is deeply unprofitable, but it is financed in corporations at the expense of the profits of other divisions; as an example, we can recall Sony and LG, they in the best possible way describe it. In theory, ZTE could do the same, provided that the Chinese government somehow provides cheap loans to support the company. It’s difficult to assume anything here; this is more a question from the field of politics than technology and business.

If you imagine that ZTE smartphones will suddenly disappear from store shelves, then upon reflection it turns out that the world will not change at all. They will be replaced by smartphones from other companies, and the consumer will not feel any difference, since there is nothing unique about ZTE, this regular devices with their pros and cons, they are easy to replace. And something tells me that ZTE also understands this, and therefore the scenario in which the company will reduce its presence in the device market is more than real and, most likely, will already begin to come true in 2019.

How to update the software?

We provide you different ways software updates, namely: updating using a memory card or updating over the air.

To update over the air, you need to connect to a Wi-Fi wireless network or GSM Internet connection and check for updates in the settings.

What should I do if the operating time of the device does not coincide with the operating time declared by the manufacturer?

Smartphone is complicated electronic device, which includes the functions pocket computer And cell phone and consumes a large amount of energy to operate these functions. Most of the energy is spent on work display module and GSM transceiver path. The display brightness is automatically set to maximum in very bright conditions. environment(sunny day) or set by the user in manual mode. Maximum brightness consumes maximum energy. At GSM operation and with stable and stable reception “at maximum”, the device consumes a minimum amount of energy to maintain communication. In case of unstable and weak signal network, the device requires more power to maintain communication. In the case of “Network Search” in an area where there is no network, the device consumes the maximum amount of energy, which is spent on searching for nearby base stations. To reduce your phone's energy consumption you need to:

1. Disable GPS if not required.

2. Disable mobile internet if it's not needed.

3. Disable or remove unnecessary ones unused applications, because they are in an active state and consume the internal resources of the device.

What should you do if your phone freezes, won’t turn on, or reboots?

The cause of rebooting or freezing in most cases is third-party software or programs.

1. Initially, we recommend that you restore the default factory settings (after saving the information you need). If the phone turns on, select the "factory reset" option from the device menu. If the device does not turn on, turn on the device in " Recovery mode" and select "wipe data/factory reset". The method of entering "Recovery mode" is described below in the paragraph "How to enter Recovery mode?".

2. If resetting to factory settings does not help, update the software. Methods for updating the software are described in the paragraph "How to update the software?".

3. If the software update does not help, contact your nearest Authorized Service Center ZTE.

How to do backup save data, notebook or "Back up"?

There are 3 ways to do a “Back Up”:

1. In the phone settings, in the "Backup and reset" submenu, check the box for recovery.

2. You can transfer necessary information to the computer using USB cable.

3. You can make a “Back Up” using a third-party program.

What should I do if I don’t remember the password or pattern to unlock the screen?

If you forgot your pattern key or digital password To unlock the screen, you need to perform a factory reset procedure: 1. Turn on the device in “Recovery mode” and select “wipe data/factory reset”. 2. If the procedure is not completed, you must contact the ZTE Authorized Service Center.

How to use wireless networks (Wi-Fi, BT)?

1. In the device settings, turn on Wi-Fi. Click on the Wi-Fi icon and you will be taken to the Wi-Fi network management screen.

2. The device will automatically start searching active Wi-Fi networks in the access area from 5 to 50 meters to the access point (depending on the power of the access point).

3. Select the network you need and click on it. If wireless network is protected by a password, please enter it.

4. After connecting to the desired network The Wi-Fi icon will appear on the main screen of the device.

How to enable Internet distribution on your phone (USB modem or WiFi router)?

There are two ways to enable Internet sharing on your phone. The first way is to enable distribution as a USB modem, the other is to enable distribution as a WiFi router. Make sure that your device has access to the Internet in order to distribute it:

1. USB modem - this method is used to distribute the Internet to a computer. Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable and allow data access. "Settings->Wireless networks->More" Modem mode - check the USB modem box." Then the phone will start distributing the Internet to the computer. To stop the distribution, uncheck the USB modem or simply disconnect cable connection.

2. WiFi router - make sure you have it stable internet connections via mobile network or USB. "Settings->Wireless networks->More" Modem mode - check the "WiFI access point" box. For protection wireless connection tap the hotspot icon then tap "Hotspot" WiFi access". IN this menu you can set a name and password for your wireless WiFi connection. Your phone will start working as a WiFi router. To stop distribution, uncheck "WiFi router"

How can I quickly see the charging status?

During charging, press the power button. The battery charge status will be shown on the main screen of the phone.

Why volume free memory Is the device smaller than stated by the manufacturer?

Unlike the processor, which has its own built-in memory, other devices such as the video processor, audio processor and other devices included in element base central board devices consume resources user memory. A certain amount of memory is reserved in advance for internal needs, but in case of overflow, user memory is used.

What types of device locking can be used?

There are 3 types of screen lock. Select one of the lock types in Settings -> Security -> Screen lock.

1. Blocking graphic key

2.PIN code lock 3.Password lock

What is the operating temperature ZTE phones?

Operating temperature is in the range from (-10C) to (+50C).

What does ROOT mean?

ROOT is "administrator rights". ROOT makes it possible to change system files, change the system, install test programs and perform other actions. ROOT rights are hidden from users, but can be activated if necessary.
Be careful, careless handling ROOT rights may harm your operating system.

How to enter Recovery mode?

In the off state, simultaneously hold down the volume button (increase +) and the power button.

What should I do if the battery is not charging 100%?

The device's battery is designed in such a way that it dissipates part of the received charge and can subsequently be recharged. This feature designed to protect the battery and increase its performance. If the battery does not charge more than 80%, contact a ZTE Authorized Service Center.

How can I add Google account into the device?

1. When you turn on the smartphone for the first time, you will be prompted to register new Google account or use an existing one. But this is not a mandatory procedure.
2. To add an account at any time, you can register a new one or use existing account: Settings->Accounts and “add account”.

How to enable USB debugging? How to get access to the "For Developers" menu?

Enter "Settings->About phone->Tap on "Build number" several times. Then you will have access to the "For Developers" submenu. In this submenu, "USB debugging" and other functions for developers are available

How to connect your phone to PC?

To install the driver (automatically), do the following:
1. Connect your phone to your computer.
2. When connected, select " Virtual disk" or "Virtual CD" depending on the model.
3. The computer must determine additional disk, run "Autorun.exe" on it and install the driver
4. If the drivers are not installed, go to "Settings->For Developers" and enable the "Disk driver". (click on "Build version" 10 times
5. When turned on ( USB Debugging) the driver will also be installed automatically.

What do the letters E, G, H mean?

When the phone's data transmission is active, the following symbols appear on the status panel (indicating signal reception, battery capacity, etc.):
- E means EDGE protocol is active
- G means active operation of the GPRS protocol
- H means active operation of the HSDPA protocol, which is part of WCDMA

Like you, I am skeptical about new manufacturers of all kinds household appliances and electronics, including manufacturers of smartphones and telephones. ZTE is a very young company. But it has already been able to acquire many smartphone models that can compete with many well-known smartphone brands. Reviews of phones are also different on the Internet. Some say that the phone is constantly buggy, others claim that the smartphone is simply allowed to fly on the Internet, and others say that some smartphone models do not have enough RAM.

So let's look at a specific ZTE Blade X3 model:

You can buy ZTE Blade X3 in a connected store for 8,990 rubles. And for this price you will get:

GSM bands 850, 900, 1800, 1900

UMTS bands 850, 2100, 900
LTE bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40
Internet GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 4G
Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi (802.11) b, g, n

2. Display

Display type IPS
Diagonal (inch) 5
Resolution (pixel) 1280x720
Number of display colors 16 million.
Touch display yes
Type touch display capacitive
Multitouch support yes

3. Camera

Camera (MP) 8
Photo resolution (pixel) 3248 x 2448
Autofocus yes
LED flash
Video recording yes
Front camera (MP)5

4. Processor

Processor frequency (MHz) 1000
Number of cores 4

Built-in memory (GB) 8
Built-in memory (MB) 8192
RAM (MB) 1024
Map support MicroSD memory,MicroSDHC
Max. memory card capacity 32 GB

6. Multimedia
Audio player yes
Video player yes
MP3 - call yes
3.5mm audio jack

7. System

operating room Android system 5.1 Lollipop
GPS navigation

8. SIM card

SIM card micro-SIM
Number of SIM cards 2

9. Food
Battery (mAh) 4000
10. Body
Case type classic
Height (mm) 145
Width (mm) 71.5
Thickness (mm) 8.9
Weight (g) 160.9
Housing material: plastic
11. Other
Sensors: Light sensor, proximity sensor, G-sensor (accelerometer)
Warranty period 1 year
Additionally
Manufacturer ZTE
Country of origin: China

What's good about this model is that it has a front camera, which means you can make video calls through

Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which stops the main production activities. The solution is temporary until the corporation understands how to proceed.

ZTE is one of the largest players in the global smartphone and telecommunications equipment market. In addition to the regional subsidiaries of the same name, ZTE owns the Chinese energy conglomerate Zonergy and the manufacturer Nubia smartphones. The total staff of ZTE is more than 80 thousand people.

What's happened?

The US presidential administration has learned that the Chinese corporation ZTE is circumventing sanctions against North Korea and Iran by supplying them with equipment with American components and software. An American court imposed a fine of $1.19 billion. In addition, a demand was made to dismiss all employees responsible for transactions with the DPRK and Iran.

But ZTE decided to show off. The layoffs affected only four of the 39 people. The rest were given bonuses.

Naturally, the US Department of Commerce did not like such impudence. It's still here new reason- ZTE allegedly leaked information to the Chinese government. The decision was very harsh: in April of this year, ZTE was banned from supplying components and software manufactured and developed in the USA. Trade agreements with Qualcomm, Intel, Acacia Communications and Lumentum Holdings were banned. The sanctions were imposed for seven years.

In general, ZTE could continue to produce smartphones. By at least, MediaTek received permission to cooperate with ZTE. But the main blow to the corporation occurred in the software sector: it was banned from using Android. And if the OS itself is an open system source code, then using Google services is prohibited. It follows that the corporation will have to abandon international expansion, since it would not be able to sell smartphones without Google services outside of China. But ZTE in the second quarter of 2017 occupied fourth place in the smartphone market in the United States!

Consequences

There are several ways to restart production.

Firstly, the corporation will have to invest huge amounts of money in developing new products from scratch, avoiding the use of solutions from American companies. Before the suspension, a quarter of all ZTE technologies and components were American.

Secondly, the corporation will try to negotiate with the American government. Actually, this is already being done, but the chances that the Trump administration will change its decision are extremely low.

Until the corporation has made a decision on what to do next, production has been suspended indefinitely.

The problem also lies in the fact that US citizens and companies suffer from US sanctions, as is usually the case with sanctions. Citizens who become ZTE customers lose the support of the manufacturer. Companies are suffering losses due to broken contracts, even despite ZTE's promise to fulfill all obligations to them.

All these problems were the consequences of the Trump administration's dealings with China. It can affect others too Chinese companies. So, he can’t find an operator in the USA to conclude an agreement with the company. Because of this, it is forced to sell unlocked devices, and they are not very popular in the United States.

Xiaomi also recently decided to enter the American market. Here, however, the company is acting more thoughtfully, starting expansion not from smartphones, but from system devices smart home, and Xiaomi has a lot of them in its assortment.