Cricket Wireless' ZTE Grand X
At $100 without a contract (after sending in a mail-in rebate to Cricket Wireless) the ZTE Grand X aims for budget-conscious prepaid users looking for an Android smartphone. It is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera, a 5-inch display, and a dual-core processor.
Mid-tier specs for a competitive price tag
The device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor from Qualcomm, and a 2,300mAh removable battery that has an estimated talk time of up to 8.5 hours and a standby time of 17.5 days.
Thin profile, but requires a wide grip
At just 0.37 inches thick, the handset is quite slim. Don’t expect it to fit too comfortably in your pockets though, since it’s quite large at 5.7 inches tall and 2.87 inches wide.
A few editing tools for the camera
The rear 5-megapixel camera has many editing options, including 4X digital zoom, nine Instagram-esque filters, and five shooting modes. There are four image sizes, ranging from 1,280x720 to 2,592x1,944 pixels. It can also shoot 720p video.
All in the subtle touches
Looking very similar to U.S. Cellular’s ZTE Grand S Pro, the Grand X sports curved edges, smooth rounded corners, and a matte battery door that adds a subtle premium touch.
Up to 32GB of expandable storage
Other goodies include Bluetooth 4.0, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of internal memory. Users can add 32GB of expandable memory, however, using a microSD card.
A 5-inch display that needs some work
The handset's 5-inch qHD display has a relatively low 960x540-pixel resolution. Although text and graphics are easy to read and see, the screen can be unresponsive to the touch, and at times, it required several taps or swipes of my finger to register an action.
More prepaid alternatives from Cricket
Although the ZTE Grand X is inexpensive for a prepaid device, Cricket has many other Android phones that perform faster and better at the same price (if not cheaper), like the HTC Desire 510 and the first-gen Motorola Moto G with 4G LTE. Click here for more on ZTE devices.