Tag: Choices

ZTE Axon 7: A Six-Month Review

Posted on by ja3techreviews

So, 2017 is finally upon us, and one of my New Year’s Resolutions remains giving credit where credit is due.  Because of this resolution, it is time to give credit to the folks at ZTE for engineering a magnificent device, full of the pillars that make a smartphone great.  As I have been using this as my daily driver regularly for four of those six months, I felt it was my duty in helping you decide if this is the phone for you.

Sporting the now one-generation old Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, an Adreno 530 GPU, and 4GB of RAM, calling this a buttery smooth experience might be an understatement.  Even after the six months of installing and removing apps, playing games, tweaking the camera, making phone calls, and customizing the user interface (UI), this thing still hums along like a newborn.  Mixed with the proper amount of inertia dampening, flying through all home screens, streaming through your app drawer, or breezing through website on your browser of choice will be silky smooth.  In comparison to the current Snapdragon 821, you will find negligible slowing, as the 820 still proves as a powerhouse among processors.  In everyday usage, playing intensive games such as Marvel Legends with no problems was a constant.  I also attribute this to the fact ZTE clocked the processor in at a higher 2.15Ghz, as opposed to OEMs such as Samsung who generally clock their devices at the lower 1.8Ghz, thus minimizing power output on a similar chip. Also, this is a hybrid phone with dual-sim capabilities, or one sim and SD card.

The MiFavor and Android Marshmallow (6.0.1) software provides several welcomed features speeding up an already fast user experience, such as modified setting toggles, most used quick settings menu feature, and message alerts from the lockscreen, this will be a fun phone for daily driving.  And battery life should not be a daily concern, as the Axon 7 has a 3,250 mAh, which got me an average of 5 hours 32 minutes of screen-on time throughout the six-months of testing.  Don’t forget on those days you need to top off, quick charge 3.0 is present, and re-charging from 0 to 100% was done in 44 minutes, 48 minutes and 46 minutes, during my review.  Very sharp!

As for gaming, this is not just a fast device, things just look astounding on the 5.5″ Quad-HD AMOLED display, with a pixel count of 538, and the word “glorious” comes to mind when describing the picture quality.  Text and pictures are both sharp and very crisp, with just the right amount of saturation, and should be enjoyable for all types of viewers.  Additionally, the video playback was extremely pleasant, again, as the preset saturation levels provide lively color reproduction without sacrificing that true-to-life feeling.  Accompanied with the Dolby Atmos audio enhancement and a beastly high-quality dac, sound reproduction from the earpiece or stereo speakers in a word was phenomenal.  I was always a huge fan of the HTC boom-sound experience, and this phone not only reproduces those old feelings, but gives a one-up with the simply sublime audio output full of great pitch, punchy bass and moderate mid levels.  If listening to music, radio or watching your favorite shows is your thing, prepare to be dazzled by this mamma-jamma.  Related to the audio output, call quality was fantastic, and became utterly amazing when the voice over LTE (VoLTE) was initiated from the setting menu.  Using this on the T-Mobile network, callers sounded extremely crisp and clear, with them saying I sounded like I was in the next room.  Nice job, ZTE!

A fast processor, great display, and fantastic audio quality, what else would you need?  Well, how about a stunning and sleek looking phone along with those other features.  Phones today are seemingly bland with every manufacturer seeking the “premium” look, usually composed of glass or metal.  Well, ZTE does the same, but the Axon 7 sets itself apart with its unibody aluminum frame full of smooth, blended curves and near-bezzless front.  Coordinated with nice rich and darker color options, this device may look like others, but when I went sans cases, many of my friends would marvel “…man, that looks really nice…” or “What phone is that?”.  So if style is something you look for when you spend your money, I think you will be quite pleased.

Accompanied by a 20MP back camera with f1.8 aperture and 8MP front selfie-shooter with f2.2 aperture, your quest in being the next Marinka Masseus may hit a snag, as the cameras provide a respectable experience.  As with any cellphone camera, in great lighting, the Axon 7 captures near flawless photos full of deep colors, but not so much in low lighting.  The tendency for overexposure or blowing out any available highlights most certainly is present, but more than acceptable for posting on social media.  HDR definitely negates most of these deficiencies, and I would also advise keeping this turned on most times.  The manual mode offers additional settings and features for those demanding more controls for that “perfect” shot, but being someone who was satisfied with the HDR representations, I did not find myself using this feature much.  Optical Image Stabilization and Dual-Tone LED flash are present and add greatly needed features for getting the best action photos or offsetting contrast ambient lighting.  Additionally, video quality taken on the rear camera was great, with my only complaint being for a device with OIS, I still observed some jittery frames at times, but nothing that would be a deal breaker.

Hitting nearly every pillar of a great smartphone, there is little objection from me for anyone wanting to buy this phone.  Oh, did I mention the $399.00 price tag?  Yeah…all this for under $400.00, easily making this an easy recommend for anyone, especially for audiophiles.

 

Apple or Samsung…Is There Any Other Choice?

Posted on by ja3techreviews

Apple or Samsung? Chicken or Beef? Actually, I prefer ground turkey due to it’s a leaner meat and less toxins, but I digress. Perhaps, though, this is what has driven me to produce such an article, because my deviation from the predicated conventional norms. Let’s face it, Apple and Samsung dominate the mobile technology, and consequently are the two most consumed and talked about manufacturers. We hear of every press release and upcoming launch event, retailers promote them seemingly around every crevice of their stores (yes, I’m looking at you Best Buy), and we are constantly presented with those witty us versus them commercials reminiscent of a bitter high school rivalry. Apple and Samsung masterfully inject themselves into our daily lives and influence our trending ways. Thus, when it comes time for that new Smartphone, tablet, television, or media player, it seems the majority flock to one or the other. People, let me tell you, you have other choices.

Let me drop some quick knowledge you may or may not know; Apple currently possesses 20.4% of the overall Smartphone sales, while maintaining 92% profits of the overall Smartphone industry. I’ll repeat that in case you missed it, 92% of the overall Smartphone profits. In a landscape encompassing well over 1,000 manufactures, and more popping onto the scene each day, Apple reigns the top dog of profitable companies. Putting further into perspective, roughly 1 of every 5 consumers owns an iPhone and/or Apple product. And that 20% is leading Apple to billions in gross profits. Not to mention the recent successes of Apple TV and Apple Watches. Recent survey analysis relates Apple’s success to its identity. Of those consumers in the market to buy a tech device, over 84% surveyed stated they would buy Apple products based solely on brand recognition. I will repeat, not knowing the functionality of the products, but solely on the fact they have heard the name, people will be inclined to buy Apple devices. That in itself I find truly amazing. The notion of buying something based only because I saw the name on television, or my neighbor bought one, or because it’s the in product baffles me.

Possessing an amazing 19.9% share of Smartphone devices sold last year, and filling in nearly all of the remaining 8% of available market share profits, Samsung remains the other most recognizable force in the industry. 19.9% may not sound like a huge number, but let’s attempt to put that in perspective. Several statistical analysis firms put overall Smartphone sales for 2014 at roughly 1.1 billion sales. This means Samsung accounts for approximately 220 million of those sales. Truly astonishing are those numbers. Following similar analysis, 86% of potential buyers surveyed stated they would buy a Samsung product on name recognition alone. Now that is truly amazing! Please forgive me if it seems I am attempting to minimize Samsung’s impact on the evolution of the industry. That is far from my intentions, as I am a huge fan of their in-house Exynos processor and find myself amazed in the steady improvements of their stunning displays. In the past year I have witnessed three magnificent devices out of the Samsung camp in the Galaxy Note 5, S6 and S6 Edge. All are truly remarkable gadgets showcasing Samsung’s innovation in hardware design language and substantial improvements in their TouchWiz software. Devoid of the poor battery life, the Galaxy line this past year lived up to the moniker of flagship devices. Each of these embodied the strongest, brightest and best offerings and a glimpse of what to expect in the upcoming year. Yet, I still find myself wondering why we gravitate to these products at the cost of other quality and cheaper manufacturers.

In asking myself this question more and more, the conclusion literally hit me in the face one evening. Walking down the street, while simultaneously writing a text message, I ran into a Samsung sidewalk sign outside Best Buy. That sign was closely followed by an Apple banner parlaying news of the recently released iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. The saying “…if you control the media, you can control the masses…” came to mind. I know the context of the quote is intended another way, but let’s face it, Apple and Samsung find ways to dominate our information sources, and because of that earn our money. If all you see is Apple and Samsung on the news, in print, on the radio, you will fixate on that. These tech giants clearly understand this simple concept, and do all they can to insert themselves into our lives. In a consumer-based world, we are lead to believe these two are the “posh” and “in-thing” of our times above all others, and maybe rightfully so. But I repeat, you have other choices.

I challenge you today to record how many times you hear or see the promotions of companies such as LG, Lenovo-Motorola, Huawei, Sony, Oppo, Blackberry or Oneplus. The last may be the exception if you frequent Facebook or Twitter, but my overall notion still stands. These companies rarely promote themselves and rely on the principle we as consumers will learn about their products and gravitate towards them. Unfortunately, we as consumers rarely do this and that is our greatest flaw. We trend towards what we are told is the latest and greatest, or what we see others have, or what’s the best of those readily accessible. In paraphrasing one of my favorite comic book characters, Ben Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility”. As a consumer, you have a responsibility to be informed before you hand over your money. Do your analysis and understand why whatever you buy is the best choice. Now I’m not saying to not to buy Apple or Samsung products. As previously mentioned, I too am an owner of several of their products, but before you spend the $700 to $1,000 full retail price….really, that much? Okay, before you pay my monthly mortgage for a device, make sure you do your homework. I personally have found the offerings of Asus and LG, to name a few very pleasing. Although I purchased the device nearly six months ago, I absolutely love using my Asus Zenfone 2 (the high-end variant) as my daily driver. That’s pretty impressive as I own nearly 15 different phones, three of which are Apple and Samsung products. What is even more impressive is the $299.00 off-contract pricing, not too bad in my opinion. Also, it would take an act of force majeure before I stop using my Nexus 5 from nearly three years ago. Much like a fine wine, it just seems to get better with time. Thus, I implore you to please remember this one message…you have other choices.