- [Narrator] It's tough to find a surprise
in smart phone design these days,
but ZTE has risen to the challenge
with an Android that goes from candy bar
to hand held flat screen in about two seconds.
The Axon M is the first folding smart phone
to hit the scene in a long time,
and this is a Mr. Mobile first look.
(upbeat music)
I only got to spend about an hour with the Axon M,
and it was a pre-release version
with pre-production software,
so don't take this as anything close to a full review.
But I'm glad I got the time with it I did,
because I loved checking out
this funky folding form factor.
It's actually pretty simply.
When the phone is closed,
it looks like a thicker than usual monoblock smart phone
with Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back
separated by an aluminum mid plate
with a volume rocker, an application button,
and a combination power key and fingerprint scanner.
When that 5.2 inch display
starts to feel a little confining,
you just pull on the backplate,
which rotates on the side hinge
until a second 5.2 inch screen clicks into place
alongside the main one.
The result?
A more expansive Android canvas
than you'd otherwise be able to fit in a pocket.
This isn't the first time we've seen a device like this.
The Kyocera Echo from 2011 used a similar design
with a more complicated pinch.
Sadly though, the Axon M suffers
the same principle shortcomings as that older phone.
Because its screens aren't perfectly bisel-less
an ugly stripe bisects the display area
when the screens are joined.
But ZTE compensates for this with software
that lets you leverage the screens differently,
depending on what you're trying to do.
You can use them as a single, integrated canvas,
you can mirror the displays side by side,
or you can run two apps independently,
one on each screen.
While that multi-tasking mode is a neat trick,
I actually like the mirror mode better.
Fold the phone into a tent,
and you can share the same screen back and front,
which could be helpful for showing off videos
over dinner, say.
Having screens on both sides also lets ZTE
pull off another neat trick.
There's just a single camera here,
which you use for both standard photos and selfies.
The camera specs are a mixed bag.
The f/1.8 aperture is pretty big,
but the IMX 350 sensor uses pixels that are pretty small,
and while there is EIS onboard,
there's no optical stabilization.
So again, the whole thing is a big we'll see.
ZTE didn't have exact pricing or availability in phone
by the time this video hit the server.
I'll throw 'em in the comments below once I get them,
but the company did tell me
that it's definitely not positioning this as a budget phone.
That's concerning, because it's not exactly shipping
with the brightest spec sheet I've ever seen.
Processor is from last year,
the Android Nougat version is old too,
and most frustrating of all,
this model will be exclusive to AT&T
in the United States.
That's good for Big Blue, who gets to pitch this phone
as a portable screen for Direct TV.
Not really good for anyone else.
Now, for what it's worth, the ZTE heavily inferred
that should this phone do well,
others like it will follow on other networks.
And helping to make up for the disappointments
on the fundamentals, the Axon M features
a dual speaker design that splits output
between a single bottom port and the earpiece speaker.
It's got a headphone jack with the same audio chips
that is in the Axon 7 Mini,
and it's packing a pretty big battery,
given how much space the company
didn't really have to work with.
Finally, ZTE also promises that the Android Oreo update
for this phone is already in the works.
I love it when a company throws convention to the wind,
even if the result is a variation
on a theme we've seen before.
And the hardware here feels very well made,
with tight hinge action, satisfying locking clicks
and enough mass to avoid feeling cheap.
But given the older internals, the carrier exclusivity,
and the expected mid- to high price point,
I'm not confident the Axon M will find its way
into many pockets this holiday season.
Stay tuned for the full Mr. Mobile review
for my final verdict.
Make sure you don't miss that
by subscribing to The Mr. Mobile on YouTube,
and if you wanna see test photos from this phone
when it does launch, be sure to follow me
on Instagram at the same handle.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile my friends.