ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review: have you ever seen any smartphone with triple 64MP rear cameras? Like, every lens on the back are blasting and on a high? Well, thatâs what ZTE is bringing to you with the latest Axon 30 Ultra.
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review starts with the camera review. Reason because, it draws attention with its triple 64MP camera. Last year, ZTE drew attention with the Axon 20 5G as it was considered to be the worldâs first âunder-display camera smartphoneâ. It seems ZTE knows how to draw attention of the media pretty well!
Camera
⢠64 MP (main)
     ⢠64 MP (ultrawide)
     ⢠64 MP
     ⢠8 MP (Periscope tele)
Like, we havenât seen this before in the industry. ZTE is the first to have 64MP triple rear cameras. And this cameras are pretty good. The main camera is IMX686 sensor with OIS (f/1.6 aperture) and it can record video at up to 8K 30 fps. Of all the cameras, only the main lens is capable of 8K recording (take note).
There is also another 64MP module with a slightly longer lens (35 mm, f/1.9). Which can take sharp and warm pictures. While the last 64MP camera is for an ultrawide that can cover upto 120°. Like, the ZTE Axon 30 Ultraâs ultrawide camera is the crispest have ever seen yet.
And there is one more camera surprise for you. In the midst of all the 64MP lenses, there is an 8MP periscope telephoto lens. That is capable of doing 5x optical zoom. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can go farther than this with its 10x optical zoom. However, the Axonâs 5x ainât bad either.
Logically, one would have expected ZTE to continue experimenting with the under-display selfie camera of a thing. However, it was dropped. And this time, ZTE returns to the supposedly-outdated tech by introducing a 16MP sensor which is not outstanding, quality wise.
Simply put, Axon 30 Ultra camera is atypical. The rear camera gets thumbs up from us here in the studio but the front camera is a mediocre.
Display
⢠6.67-inch
     ⢠AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+
     ⢠1080 x 2400
     ⢠Gorilla Glass 5 protection
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra review has been on a smooth ride but not until now you should take a pause. The display of this device is slightly curved and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 (not glass 6 or even Victus). However, you get 1080 resolution unlike in Galaxy S21 Ultra and Mi 11 Ultra where you get 1440p screen resolution.
But one good thing here is the 144Hz refreshing rate that you wonât find in any Ultras out there. So youâll have to choose now between the ZTE Axon 30 Ultraâs 144 Hz + 1080p display or 120Hz + 1440+ display.
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Chipset | Gaming | 5G | RAM | Storage
Like every other true flagship out there in the market, the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Which is 5G enabled.
Moreover, the base configuration has 8GB of RAM (LPDDR5) and 256GB storage (UFS 3.1), but you can upgrade to 12GB of RAM if you feel the need to. And thereâs a top of the line model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB storage as well.
In the areas of gaming, you can game excellently well with this device. But you have to be mindful of the battery life because this is not an in-house gaming device like the Asus Rog phones or Lenovo Legion Duels.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra Review: Battery
The smartphone has 4,600 mAh battery capacity and supports 66W charging over a cable. Thereâs no wireless charging which is disappointing when you consider it bearing the name âUltraâ. The battery can give you upto 6 hours screen on time. And topping it from 0 â 100% take you a little below 50 minutes.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra Price and Availability
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra price starts at $729. While the 16GB + 1TB variant will cost you $1,020. The smartphone is available in three main colors (Black, White and Mint) plus a special tan vegan leather version.
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ZTE Axon 30 Ultra Review: Conclusion
ZTE has a way of drawing attention to its products without too much drama. They donât hype too much. It only does what is different from others in the market and that undeniably brings peoples attention to them. A good strategy I must admit.
But that is not enough to bear the name âUltraâ. This is because, by Ultra, you are supposed to go to the extreme which is found lacking on the ZTE Axon 30 âUltraâ. For example, the build material werenât extreme. Neither was the display extreme or the battery system.
Simply put, what ZTE is calling Ultra here, is what the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi called âProâ. But nonetheless, shout out to ZTE, they tried but next time becareful with the word âUltraâ.
The tendency for omitting expandable storage on flagship phones is killing my interest in upgrading. I want freedom from being connected to the net when outside, & expect to be able to use a 1 TB card as the norm. Even though Iâm still using my Axon 7, in future Iâll only consider buying brands like Samsung & Sony, who show good marketing common sense in including expandable storage. Some people donât want to be continually dependant on the cloud for data & files.