Hey, what’s up? Sami here, today I’m going to be reviewing the ZTE AXON 30 5G phone. I’ve been
using it for some time and I have a lot to say. As a pioneer for the under-display camera technology,
how is it exactly on this model?
What about comparing to the Mi Mix 4?
And the overall user experience?
I will answer all of those in this video.
BTW if you haven’t subscribed to my channel yet, please give a sub,
and turn on the notification bell, it’s free! Without further ado, let’s get started.
Starting with the screen. The ZTE Axon 30 5G is a big phone with a 6.92-inch 20.5:9 FHD+ display and
it feels even a bit bigger given that nearly the entire front of the phone is a massive viewable
display with no interferences. The display refresh rate has been improved over the Axon 20
with the available 120Hz option. You can toggle between 60Hz and 120Hz or flip on the Auto switch
for it to be handled by the phone's software. For the front under-display camera, ZTE bumped up
the pixel density over the camera to a staggering 400 PPI compared to the 200 PPI on the Axon 20 and
the improvement is considerable. I tried different wallpapers and viewed from different angles,
I could only notice it from some extreme side angles. If from a normal phone using angle,
you wouldn’t even know where it is. And the viewing experience is awesome,
whether for e-book reading or video watching. I think I can finally use
the word “immersive” to describe everything. Under the hood, you'll find plenty to like
in the ZTE Axon 30 5G. Powered by the Snapdragon 870 5G chipset and 8GB of RAM, this phone doesn't
get bogged down by any action or activity. This is the AnTuTu benchmark if you are curious to know.
It has a smooth gaming experience, like for PUBG, I set the graphics and frame rate
to high, all seem smooth and I didn’t experience a single hiccup.
The Axon 30 is ZTE's first phone to come with the company's brand new MyOS 11 based on Android 11.
The skin is very close to stock Android, and you don't get any bloatware installed on the handset
out of the box. The Z-POP utility lets you quickly launch your favorite apps, and other
typical Android customization options are present. Everything works in a snappy, satisfying fashion.
The Axon 30 5G has the 64MP Sony IMX682 sensor as its primary camera and a secondary 8MP wide-angle
lens with a 120° FoV. Then you have the standard 5MP macro and 2MP depth sensors.
The main camera has up to 20x digital zoom, plus the option to capture images
in the full 64MP resolution if you like. It does a good job of capturing natural
colors and retains a decent amount of detail as you zoom in. The shots came out pretty decent,
as you would expect from a $500 phone. What I really like is the stabilization
for 4k footage. As you can see even I was on a very shaky bridge the footage looked very stable
and smooth, it’s usable without editing. Here are more samples I took.
What about that under-display camera on the front? As mentioned, it has no problem for
reading or video watching and it’s very hard to notice. But there is a problem
that the image quality produced by the 16MP snapper isn’t quite up to scratch
compared to most selfie cameras right now – even those on budget phones. Selfies captured
on the Axon 30 5G can come across as soft with a noticeably more muted color palette
compared to the rear camera offering, even in good light outdoor environments.
You can see weird light diffraction circles here and there. It’s just not that good.
But that’s the same problem with the current under-display cameras, even for Xiaomi Mi Mix 4.
If you don’t often take selfies, it’s a compromise well worth accepting – especially
if you like the idea of a full-screen display without a camera cut-out – but if you’re a
selfie lover, there are better-performing cameras available at a similar price.
To conclude, The ZTE Axon 30 is an affordable phone with a
$499 starting price that is packed with solid internal components that includes the fastest RAM
and internal storage. For the price and availability, you can check out the link
in the description. With that budget price, the ZTE Axon 30 isn’t the perfect mid-ranger,
but it certainly has a lot going for it. The 6.92in 120Hz FHD+ display is a huge selling point,
offering a gorgeous scrolling experience that makes everything from texting to gaming
feel more responsive, and the design of the phone looks great too, even if it’s made from plastic
and not glass. It is a big phone, but it is fairly light so it is not too heavy to use.
There’s also the under-display camera to consider; while the quality of the
selfies can’t quite compare with standard front-facing cameras, ZTE’s implementation is
far more advanced than offerings from even super expensive options like Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Overall, the AXON 30 5G is a decent phone that has a very tempting price tag, an awesome software
experience, and cutting edge under-display camera technology, and if you are looking forward to
experiencing that new tech without breaking the bank, this is a great mid-range smartphone.
I'm Sami and I will see you in the next one.