ZTE ZMax has 5.7-inch display, available for T-Mobile starting September 24 (hands-on)
At its New York press event today, ZTE unveiled its ginormous ZMax handset, a 5.7-inch smartphone for prepaid customers on T-Mobile and MetroPCS.
At a New York press event today, ZTE introduced its latest "phablet" device, known as the ZMax. Sporting a whopping 5.7-inch HD touchscreen, the handset will be available online and in carrier retail stores starting September 24. T-Mobile customers can purchase it for $0 down with 24 monthly payments of $10.50, bringing the total price to $252. The smartphone will also come to MetroPCS users later this year.
In addition to its expansive LCD display, the ZMax features a 1,280x720-pixel resolution. Its respectable innards include a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, an Adreno 305 GPU, and a sizable 3,400mAh battery.
For your casual camera needs, it's equipped with an 8-megapixel rear-facing shooter that's capable of recording 1080p video, and a 1-megapixel front-facing camera.
As for its software features, the 4G LTE device runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with ZTE's MiFavor user interface overlaid on top. (Though, Android purists would be pleased to know that the company's UI doesn't stray too far from stock Android.) It also comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, but users have the option to add up to 32GB of external storage via a microSD card.
During our brief time with the ZMax, the device appeared very large indeed. Petite hands will find it unwieldy, but its thin 0.35-inch profile keep the handset lightweight and comfortable. The phone's straight edges and sharp corners render it aesthetically more pleasing and modern-looking than ZTE's last big-screen handset, the Boost Max (which was thicker, too). And although the ZMax's 720p display isn't the sharpest resolution, especially in comparison with the 5.7-inch, quad-HD-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note 4, it isn't meant to be a high-end device.
Of course, we'll know more when we get a chance to review the handset thoroughly, but with its solid build quality and the fact that it costs just a bit over $250, the ZMax looks to be a decent prepaid value.