We have conducted a test of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus, one of the first mid-range that the Chinese brand has launched this 2017. The Plus version has a 5.5-inch LCD screen, an eight-core chip at 1.5 GHz speed maximum and 4 GB of RAM .
However, one of the most prominent features of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus is its battery. With 5,000 milliamps of capacity , it is almost double what we are used to seeing in current smartphones. In addition, it incorporates a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. Its price is very reasonable, selling for only 160 euros. Let's see what our impressions have been after the test:
Design and display
We found in the ZTE Blade A610 Plus a fairly correct terminal, in aluminum and glass, but which lacks the touch of originality that other models of the brand such as the ZTE Axon 7 do have. Its design is closer to that of other mobile phones. like the ZTE Blade V7 Lite. So far there is really no problem.
It is true, however, that the terminal becomes a bit large when you take it in your hand. The almost 10 millimeters (9.8) thick and its 189 grams of weight make it a somewhat heavy and uncomfortable device to grip . Of course that's the cost of taking your autonomy to a new level.
On the bright side, the 5.5-inch LCD screen, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, looks great. Both the menu and the contents have a very sharp image quality, without being affected by the large size of the screen.
Among the features of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus stands out its 4 GB of RAM
performance
During our test of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus we have been able to witness the operation of this phone up close. The result has been, for us, quite satisfactory. This terminal makes good use of its eight-core Mediatek MT6750T chip , partly thanks to the 4 GB RAM. This element triggers the performance of the terminal to make it quite fast.
In this period, we have downloaded apps and games of all kinds. In no case have we had problems with the system freezing or shutting down suddenly . Of course, it is far from the top teams on the market. In addition, the 32 GB of internal storage means that content download can be done without any problem. Another nail in the coffin of the 16 GB in the mid-range.
Regardless of our experience, we are going to perform two benchmark tests on this ZTE Blade A61o Plus. We are going to give you the GeekBench 4.0 and the AnTuTu Benchmark . When running the first test, the result was 600 for the performance of one core, and 2,549 for the set of cores.
Benchmark results for the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
The AnTuTu Benchmark, for its part, gave a valuation of 44,651 . According to its ranking, the ZTE Blade A610 Plus was in position 51. Right above, we would find Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Nubia Z11 Max. In both cases, they are large and powerful phones with a lot of autonomy, so they would corroborate our previous analysis.
ZTE Blade A610 Plus datasheet
| screen | 5.5 ″ IPS LCD at Full HD resolution, with 400 dpi density | ||
| Main chamber | 13 megapixels with PDAF, Full HD video | ||
| Camera for selfies | 8 megapixels, HD video | ||
| Internal memory | 32 GB | ||
| Extension | Yes, with MicroSD cards up to 128 GB | ||
| Processor and RAM | Mediatek MT6750T 8-core: 4 to 1.5 GHz and 4 to 1 GHz, 4 GB RAM | ||
| Battery | 5,000 milliamps | ||
| Operating system | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, My Favor desktop | ||
| Connections | WiFi 802.11 b / g / n, 4G, a-GPS, USB 2.0 | ||
| SIM | simple nano | ||
| Design | Aluminum and glass, silver and gold | ||
| Dimensions | 155 x 76.2 x 9.8 mm (189 grams) | ||
| Featured Features | Fingerprint, gesture and movement reader | ||
| Release date | Available | ||
| Price | 230 euros |
Operating system
Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the base software on this ZTE. However, we must not forget about the customization layer of the Chinese brand that the My Favor desk offers us. In it, there is no application menu, but everything is at startup . This makes its use much more intuitive, and optimizes navigation within the terminal.
Through two blinds we can control a large part of the elements of the system, as well as customize it. The upper blind allows us to activate and deactivate different functions: WiFi, Data, Bluetooth, gyroscope, location or flashlight . We can also choose the brightness of the screen and automate it.
The bottom shutter, however, is centered around the start menu layout. Through four sub-tabs, we can control the color or image of the background, the style of the icons and the effects when moving through menus .
Inner cube and outer cube modes in the ZTE Blade A610 Plus start menu.
In the case of icons, we have three styles to choose from . There is a first more detailed and rounded type, another where the colors are simpler and nuances disappear, and a third more risky and geometric.
The last customization allows us to choose how we want the system to go through the different “pages” that make up the app blocks. For example, they can pass smoothly and linearly, or do it like a revolving door . We can also make them form a cube, from the inside or from the outside. If we want, we can enable a random mode, so that each time that change is made in a different way.
The ZTE Blade A610 Plus, a star of autonomy.
Family mode
In addition to the My Favor desktop by default, the firmware of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus offers us a Family mode to organize the startup. This mode is designed to be accessible to older people . What it does is transform the menu to fill it with large blocks, easy to differentiate, with very large letters and numbers. Here you have a sample of how it looks:
Example of family mode in the ZTE Blade A610 Plus test.
Serial applications
The firmware of this ZTE Blade A610 Plus includes ZTE's own apps , a bundle of Google products and then some pre-installed applications.
Among the own apps we find ZTE support, backup and shortcuts to Gestures and movements, Super Key and Family Mode . In the Google package, no surprise: YouTube, Hangouts, Play Movies, Play Games, Drive and Gmail among others.
Pre-installed apps and Google package on the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
Lastly, ZTE repeats a partnership with AccuWeather, Clean Master, and WPS Office to offer their services pre-installed. The first is a fairly effective weather forecast service. Clean Master, for those who do not know it, is an optimization app that helps to delete junk files, cool down the CPU and free up RAM.
WPS Office for its part is a text file manager, similar to Microsoft Office or Google Docs . We did not use it much in the test, since the phone is not really the place to write stories or do the accounts of the month in a spreadsheet. It is certainly not one of the features of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus that you will use the most, although it may be useful for more professional users.
Fingerprint reader
The fingerprint reader is one of the most advanced features of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus. On the one hand, it has a high reading speed, which makes unlocking the terminal instantaneous . On the other hand, entering the Fingerprint Settings menu, we can activate comfortable options that allow us to shoot a photo or pick up the phone just by resting our finger on the reader. We can also activate a swipe through the reader to be able to view galleries or browse recent applications.
However, the great success of the fingerprint reader on the ZTE Blade A610 Plus is the Super Key mode. In this mode, the fingerprint reader is also a push button . With the Super Key mode we can create shortcuts depending on the number of clicks we make.
For example, one click would serve to take a screenshot, two clicks to take a quick photo, and a continuous click would open the flashlight. This mode is really useful, because it eliminates the problem of accidentally brushing the reader and activating it. This problem is very common in terminals where the fingerprint reader is located on the back.
Gestures and movements
In addition to the fingerprint reader, we have at our disposal a system of gestures and movements to make navigation within the mobile easier .
Gestures
The first of the features of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus that we discuss here are the gestures with the black screen. These gestures are performed when the phone is idle , and allow us to directly access apps of our choice. By making gestures that resemble the letters C, O, M, or W, we can go from the black screen to the camera or open WhatsApp, for example.
There is also an option to slide your finger from right to left on the black screen to skip between songs, or do the opposite movement to go back to the previous song. Finally, we can select that, with two taps on the idle screen, the phone is turned on .
Sample of the gestures and movements of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
Movements
Second, we have the movements. These allow us to shorten actions with quick movements . For example, placing ourselves on the phone by the ear can be used to take the call, or even to make it, if we have the contact page open.
We can also turn the phone over to silence it when they are calling us , or to turn off the alarm when it rings. Finally, we have the possibility to turn on the flashlight or the calculator just by shaking the phone.
In our test of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus we have been able to confirm that both gestures and movements react quickly and effectively . Of course, having them activated affects the autonomy of the phone. We prefer the shortcuts from the fingerprint reader, which involve less expense.
The ZTE Blade A610 Plus's camera, up close.
Camera
The camera is another element to highlight in this terminal. Regardless of the different camera modes, the important thing is that the photos turn out very well. The blurs are really achieved and the definition is very good . Also the front camera portrays with detail and sharpness. Here are a couple of examples from both cameras:
Blur achieved with the main camera.
A photo with the front camera of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
Among its options, HDR is one of the most successful modes. It offers us a natural result and helps to balance those snapshots where we cannot alter the lighting.
One shot made with HDR and one without HDR. You can see the difference.
Besides, we have a very large margin to personalize the photos, adapting the photo to night light, a landscape or also a portrait . Anyway, the most interesting thing about our test of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus is that, without touching any adjustments, the photos have been very good.
Different filters and camera options of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
Autonomy
The best, as always, for last. The 5,000 milliamps of battery capacity of this terminal means that it can be used intensively and that autonomy is maintained. In resting conditions, with specific uses, it has lasted up to 3 continuous days. When we have “given it”, autonomy has never dropped below 24 hours .
It is really reassuring to be able to carry a terminal with you without having the constant neurosis of looking for a place to charge your phone. In that sense, despite being a device with full HD resolution screen and 4 GB of RAM, resource consumption affects not just autonomy .
Regardless of our experience, we wanted to pass the AnTuTu battery test. The terminal has obtained a score of 17,189 . For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S7 gets a 7,498. We thus confirm that the great autonomy is real.
Test result of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus with the AnTuTu Battery Tester.
conclusion
The ZTE Blade A610 Plus test has been generally very positive. It works fast, has a lot of autonomy and the photos are of a fairly high quality . The fingerprint reader has left us a very taste in our mouths due to its speed. In addition, its Super Key mode offers more possibilities to squeeze that reader. Do not forget either that it has a very competitive price: 230 euros.
The moment before starting the test of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus.
The main negative point of the characteristics of the ZTE Blade A610 Plus is its dimensions. It gets big in the hand, and it's quite heavy . To the point that wearing it on a day-to-day basis can become uncomfortable. To the user who prioritizes convenience over hardware, we do not recommend the phone at all. To those who value performance above all else, we guarantee a great experience with this ZTE Blade A610 Plus.