AT&T adds ZTE ZMax 2 to its GoPhone plans
The plus-sized entry-level smartphone will be available on AT&T's prepaid range later this week.
ZTE's new ZMax 2 has Android 5.1 Lollipop and slightly refreshed specs compared to last year's model . It's still an affordable option -- it will be available on prepay for $150 on AT&T from September 25.
Chinese hardware-maker ZTE is now the fourth-largest smartphone vendor in the US. The company was virtually unknown just a few years ago, but it's made significant strides by offering lower-cost alternatives to brands such as Samsung and LG.
Aside from a few small tweaks, the ZMax 2 isn't all that different from its predecessor. While it picks up a newer version of Android in 5.1 Lollipop, its hardware is nearly identical to last year's model. And in some areas, like battery capacity, its specs even take a step backwards.
The ZTE ZMax 2 has a 5.5-inch 720 pixel display. That's a smidge smaller than the first generation's 5.7-inch screen, but this could be a good thing depending on your preferences. It comes equipped with a 3,000mAh battery, down from the 3,400mAh unit that powered the 2014 version. Still, we can't be sure exactly how that will affect performance, and it should have more than enough juice to get the phone through a full day's use.
Other specifications include an 8-megapixel rear camera and a front-facing 2-megapixel lens for selfies and video chats. Rounding things out, there's a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 2GB RAM. The ZMax 2's internal storage is listed at 16GB, but you can insert a microSD card and get up to 32GB of additional space.
AT&T will sell the ZTE ZMax 2 for an all-in, no-contract price of $150 from September 25.