Pros: - Amazing screen. Wow. Coming from an LCD (Lg G4) this AMOLED panel is a revelation. Clear, bright and super detailed. - Fast. Snapdragon 820 and 4 gigs of RAM really delivers. Smooth and fluid. - Good audio. Front facing speakers have been a little underwhelming so far, but the audio through the headphones (using the ZTE music app only, for now...) is really great. The 32 bit DAC makes a huge difference. - Feels premium in the hand. The feel of the aluminium body is solid and smooth and really really impressive.

Cons: - The ZTE Mifavor launcher leaves a lot to be desired. Gigantic icons, few customization options .... yeah. Had Nova launcher prime installed within a half hour of getting the phone set up. - The included QC 3.0 charger has started failing after just a few days. Which also led to..... - Poor support from ZTE. Called about the included charger failing and was advised to go to my provider for a new one. Polite service but utterly useless. - Accessories are of mediocre to poor quality. The included soft silicone case is adequate, the plastic screen protector is poor and the headphones are rather meh. Costs were definitely saved here.

Overall Review: Overall, for the money, a great phone. It has a few weak points, bugs and strange design features but nothing that can't be fixed or addressed in software. The camera has been adequate so far but hasn't distinguished itself enough to be either a pro or a con. I've also seen a lot of comments raised about the phone and wifi radios getting weak signal compared to a number of other phones; I haven't experienced any issues. Wifi at home and work has been great and LTE service has been good as well, as far east as Newcastle Ontario. Definitely comparable to my old G4.

Pros: I've read all the reviews before I bought this phone because if you are like me; money is a scarce and you want to compromise as little as possible. Certainly, you are not going to get a Samsung S7 phone for half the price--The Axon 7 isn't perfect but for the money, it is pretty close to it. I've owned the following SmartPhones: Google LG Nexus 4 Google LG Nexus 5 (2 of them) ZTE Zmax (GSM arena zte_zmax-6697.php) Nokia Lumia 521 Nokia Lumia 635 Google Motorola Nexus 6 There are so many positives about this phone. I bought it for $400 and wished I could have known about the price drop/sale. For $350 (plus freebies), I'd buy the Axon 7 all day long without hesitation. -Price -Bright Screen -Very little manufacturer overlay...almost stock Android -Nice extras: Screen protector already installed, extra screen protector, USB-C cable, USB-micro to C adapter, no-frills case -Fast processor/SoC Snapdragon 820 -Fingerprint reader is fast -MicroSD card slot or Dual network Sim -Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 -Battery Life -Band 12, 13, 17 radio -Pedometer -App Closer/Clear all apps -Restart Button First things first, I need my Smartphone to be a flawless phone and communication platform. What I can tell you is, I've had no problems whatsoever with phone calls or data signal. In fact, the signal meter seems to be stronger and more consistent than my venerable Motorola Nexus 6. If you do your homework, Band 12 radio is crucial in the city because the frequency penetrates building walls better. With that said, only a few phones have the extra radio channels--ZTE Axon 7 is one of them. In fact, the Axon 7 has a very complete channel list which makes it more useful for domestic and international travel--or if you change carriers. The screen is very bright; very usable and visible in midday sun. Indoors and in the evening, I have to turn the brightness almost all the down--which makes me happy because I'm saving battery. The resolution is really high and picture is crisp, colors are decent and real to life. The shadows or dark areas are a little heavy. I prefer the Nexus 6 screen over the Axon7. The SD card slot allows me to have a lot more storage for way less money. I added a 64GB (about $25 from Newegg) to the existing on-board 64GB and now I feel confident that I can take all the pictures and videos I want without hitting up against a wall. Battery life is good, maybe great even, IMO. If I forget to plug it in before bed, I only lose about 2-4% overnight even with data turned on. I can play Pokemon Go for 3-4 hours without needing a charge--If you know anything about Pokemon Go, that's impressive. I really appreciate the little extras they included in the box. I am currently using the thing clear case that they threw in. The case isn't great armor but it's thin, grippy, and keeps from the phone from getting scratches. I usually always use a screen protector (which really defeats the purpose of gorilla glass, i know). ZTE had a screen protector already installed out of the box, and included an extra one, just in case. While I expect to have a cable included, ZTE threw in a small USB micro to C adapter--a very nice touch. The small feature that I really like is the "Clear All" function. This button kills all the apps and frees up memory--it also tells you how much memory it cleared and how much is available. Also, there is a restart button. On my Nexus phones, a reboot required that I power off the phone and then power on the phone--which I found enormously inconvenient. I am usually a black on black guy for cell phones but decided to try something different this time with the gold. I really like the build and feel of this phone. It feels slender and metallic with a matte finish. The included case hardly adds much thickness to it.

Cons: -Earbud headphones are worthless -No Tmobile Wi-Fi Calling -Navigation buttons not illuminated -No wireless Qi charging -Not water resistance rated Surprisingly, with as much emphasis on sound, the included earbuds just didn't stay in my ears. I have no idea how they are supposed to be used. They look great but feel plasticky. For me, the earbuds are useless and went back into the box. The navigation buttons would be much better if they lit up but they are in the spot where you know they are, so it isn't a huge problem or loss. The nice thing is that ZTE included a setting so you can configure or change what the buttons do. There are two things that are questionable: First, the camera did some weird things when moving from the warm inside to cold outside. The picture would squiggle for a while---perhaps until the temperature equalized? Second, while playing music on bluetooth speakers, the sound would cut out if the screen turned off--maybe a power saver setting?? I have not been able to resolve these issues yet.

Overall Review: The speakers are good and loud, but just not as full ranged as the Nexus 6. The camera is also the same way--it is good and the app offers a lot of control but not great. The speakers aren't such a big deal for me, I only use them for speakerphone primarily. The camera while decent, leaves something to be desired. I feel the Nexus 6 camera was sharper, crisper, and truer to life---and that is 2014 technology. A lot of people may have reluctance with getting this phone because they hadn't heard of ZTE before. ZTE is acually one of the top 10 largest manufacturers in the world. I had my first experience with their ZMAX phone, which was a low cost phone. I really loved the ZMAX because it was cheap, reliable with great performance. The Axon 7 seems to follow suit with a lot of improvements. The price performance ratio is incredibly hard to beat. I also considered the Motorola Z Play, ASUS Zenfone 3 and the Oneplus 3. The big influencers were cost (Motorola) and no Band 12 (All). All said and done, I have felt solidly confident about my choice at $400--had I gotten it at the $350, I'd probably go ape wild happy. ________________________________ Update (5/9/2017) So, my problem with the camera became more frequent. I decided to exercise the Passport warranty. I called them, and they asked me to do some troubleshooting steps first---which I did. The problem still persisted so I called back. They promptly set up a return -- which I opted for an advance exchange where they send you a new one, then you send back the old. They paid for shipping both ways. The new phone arrived 3 days later. I sent back the old phone about a week after. And that was that. Very easy, very simple, very quick. Great job, ZTE! ZTE also added wi-fi calling update. I feel confident having it now that I can call through wi-fi in bad coverage areas or foreign countries. The phone has a great battery endurance and charges quickly with or without QC 3.0 Quick Charging. The capacitive buttons work great, but i feel they are a little too close together than I originally did.

Pros: Speakers Expandable Storage Warranty Service Price Performance

Cons: Camera

Overall Review: This phone is amazing for the value here. The speakers are super loud and the sound chip is very advanced. My camera had some issues and after a year with the phone I decided to run it through warranty. I did a deposit to have a phone sent to me first and then ship the defective device. SEAMLESS and QUICK. Overall, i dont want to make this to long but buy this phone, I still recommend it today compare to Oneplus, Xiaomi, Honor, Pixel offerings. Cheers!

Pros: Nothing - poor phone

Cons: Been back for repair twice. They did nothing the first time, then said they would send new one out the second. Two months later, I am still waiting

Overall Review: Only recommend to your worst enemy. Their service is awful

Pros: Elegant design, high-end specs, accidental warranty, amazing front facing speakers, all accessories included (case + screen protector even)

Cons: Battery life could be better, non-illuminated off-screen home/back button is hard to use in the dark, indicator light is tiny and hard to see

Overall Review: If you're looking at this phone and goin, "hmmmmm should I buy it?" I'm gonna go ahead and tell you "yes". I've owned flagships from just about every major brand out there. This being my first ZTE device, I'm pleasantly surprised that it can match or top the build quality of every phone I've ever used. Instead of deciding between phones like the S7 and G5, your purchase decision at this point should be, "Should I get the One Plus Three or the Axon 7?" Cause it just makes no sense even considering other flagships at this point when these 2 alternatives are on the market for half the price.

Pros: Performance Screen Quick Charging Battery Life

Cons: Capacitive Buttons are not backlit Poor software choices Slippery phone Gold colour hue looks different in person then pictured Fingerprint reader is poor

Overall Review: After having the OnePlus One since almost launch, I thought it was time to upgrade. I was waiting for the white OnePlus 3 to launch when I noticed this phone kept getting compared to the OnePlus 3. It was a hard choice, but ultimately based on early production decided to preorder this phone. Having the phone for a couple weeks now, the speakers are the big standout. They are loud and sound great. The screen is great; definite upgrade over the OPO. With Quick Charge 3.0, I never even think about my battery life as I know I can charge it in a half hour to get me through 7-8 hours. Sometimes I don't even plug it in at night as my 3.0 car charger will charge it to almost full just driving into work. The camera is great, though I've barely used it so far. The real test will be the next time I got on vacation. Just bought a micro SD card to put all my Spotify and Podcast Addict downloads on external storage just to make life easier. Loving the buttons all on one side; they've got a great click feel - even through a gel case. For the negatives... The gel case that came with the phone is essential as the phone is comically slippery. I get nervous taking the case off as the phone is so slippery I feel like it'll jump out of my hand. The fingerprint reader is quite poor. The success rate is low, maybe 60-70% so far. I like the placement, but compared to the iPhone 6S the wife has, the Axon 7 is quite bad. The capacitive buttons have a great placement, but the fact they are not backlit is a huge flaw. You cannot see them in the dark whatsoever. I'm hoping for a software update that provides on screen keys. A few poor software choices were made. The most obvious is the lock screen. In order to see a notification, you have to tap a bell icon. This is silly... A horrible User Experience design mistake. Again, fingers crossed for a software update in the future. The notification light cannot be customized for per app notification which is disappointing compared to the OnePlus phones. Most of my concerns can be fixed by software updates; hopefully ZTE takes note. Even today I'm unsure if I made the right call over the OnePlus 3, but the Axon 7 is still a good phone overall. I would rate to somewhere around a 3.5 out of 5.

Pros: -Hands Down Cost. At less than $400 this phone offers flagship features and performance at low-mid cost. -Beautiful Screen -Front-facing stereo speakers = Incredible sound. I didn't know a phone could sound so good! I'm hooked. I love to show off this feature to my family, friends, and co-workers. They have all been blown away. Many jealous looks. -Low bloatware. Option to switch to stock UI or even Google Now Launcher which I was previously using. -Great Call Quality -Quick fingerprint reader -Great battery life -Expandable memory through micro SD -Beautiful Design -Great included extras like the thin case, screen protector, usb-c adapter, earphones. -Packaging screams PREMIUM -ZTE you have outdone yourselves this time around

Cons: -No Android N as of 10/13/2016. Heard in forums that its expected sometime this month. Will check back on how this affects performance and usability. -Notification bell is a very minor annoyance, but not a deal breaker like other people have suggested. -If this matters to you: ZTE is a no-name in USA.

Overall Review: After almost 3 years with my Nexus 5, screen cracked, dropped in a lake, it was time for an upgrade. I waited until google's announcement to see if I should upgrade to their latest offering. I have to the say the PREMIUM price of the PIXEL line really turned me off. It was what originally sold me on my Nexus 5. ZTE comes in to the rescue offering PREMIUM at low cost. Wow, just wow! It came down between the OnePlus 3 and the ZTE Axon 7 for me. In the end, expandable memory, front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and the warranty sold me on the Axon 7. If you are deciding on this phone too, just do it! Pull the trigger. I'm so happy with this phone that I purchased one for my wife the day right after I got mine.

Pros: - Fantastic display (some were concerned about the brightness but I find it great and bright enough even in the sun) - Powerful and immersive sound for a phone - Very fast and smooth - Fingerprint scanner works great - Very good battery performance - Capacitive buttons are awesome! They don't light up but work really well

Cons: - Not really a con but I wouldn't mind a 5.7 inch version - Capacitive buttons not back lit