2016-01-26, 23:04
Here is my review of the ZTE Axon Elite (International model)
The 'phone is great, everything is as smooth as silk, but I'm tempted to root and put it back to stock Android. I wonder how the warranty will be if I brick it? There's not too much bloatware, so I'll probably leave it. I do like the ZTE skin they put on it, one reviewer called it child-like, so maybe I'm heading for no 2 childhood. It's fluid and very responsive, and has nice big icons, fit for arthritic fingers and poor eyesight.
The GPS works beautifully with my receiver, I have a floor-mounted gooseneck stand for my car and as it is so big it is really easy to use as a GPS. I won't be needing a new 7 inch tablet for my car.
There doesn't seem to be any 4G at my home location, I don't know if there is any in Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch town centres as I haven't been there yet with the 'phone.
The quick charge facility is brilliant, works well, and with the way I use the 'phone the battery seems to be lasting for two or three days at a time.
The screen is amazingly bright, plainly viewable in direct sunlight with no distortion or phasing out at even the most obscure angles.
The sound is as loud as I hoped, with a truly piercing ring and the dual speakers (tiny though they must be) produce acceptable sound in an emergency where there are no external speakers available.
When connected via bluetooth to my Peugeot 3008 (old model 2013) it sounds just great and the steering wheel controls work as expected. It must have multipoint bluetooth because now I can connect to the Adapt dedicated GPS receiver and the car simultaneously. The only thing that is different to the Samsung S3 is the dash display no longer displays the song title and artist. The Samsung used to play each track twice though, the Axon doesn't. Also the turn-by-turn instructions of Waze are emitted from the Axon speakers and there seems no way of reducing the English lady's rather strident voice. I'll be trying Navmii and Google Maps, see if they will work through the car system.
It also connects flawlessly to my GT88 smartwatch (I know I'm an ageing geek!), and all functions seem to work ok.
I'm still playing with it, so if I discover any new facet I'll be sure to return here.
Tony.
The 'phone is great, everything is as smooth as silk, but I'm tempted to root and put it back to stock Android. I wonder how the warranty will be if I brick it? There's not too much bloatware, so I'll probably leave it. I do like the ZTE skin they put on it, one reviewer called it child-like, so maybe I'm heading for no 2 childhood. It's fluid and very responsive, and has nice big icons, fit for arthritic fingers and poor eyesight.
The GPS works beautifully with my receiver, I have a floor-mounted gooseneck stand for my car and as it is so big it is really easy to use as a GPS. I won't be needing a new 7 inch tablet for my car.
There doesn't seem to be any 4G at my home location, I don't know if there is any in Bournemouth/Poole/Christchurch town centres as I haven't been there yet with the 'phone.
The quick charge facility is brilliant, works well, and with the way I use the 'phone the battery seems to be lasting for two or three days at a time.
The screen is amazingly bright, plainly viewable in direct sunlight with no distortion or phasing out at even the most obscure angles.
The sound is as loud as I hoped, with a truly piercing ring and the dual speakers (tiny though they must be) produce acceptable sound in an emergency where there are no external speakers available.
When connected via bluetooth to my Peugeot 3008 (old model 2013) it sounds just great and the steering wheel controls work as expected. It must have multipoint bluetooth because now I can connect to the Adapt dedicated GPS receiver and the car simultaneously. The only thing that is different to the Samsung S3 is the dash display no longer displays the song title and artist. The Samsung used to play each track twice though, the Axon doesn't. Also the turn-by-turn instructions of Waze are emitted from the Axon speakers and there seems no way of reducing the English lady's rather strident voice. I'll be trying Navmii and Google Maps, see if they will work through the car system.
It also connects flawlessly to my GT88 smartwatch (I know I'm an ageing geek!), and all functions seem to work ok.
I'm still playing with it, so if I discover any new facet I'll be sure to return here.
Tony.
