ZTE Blade V8, analysis, price and opinions

The ZTE Blade V8 is a new mid-range proposition that comes as a surprise outside of ZTE's main presentation at CES. The company already presented the ZTE Blade V8 Pro a few hours ago , but now it is joined by this version with a more compact screen size (5.2 inches) and a set of attractive features for the mid-range .

Above all, we are struck by the use of a double camera on the back , a bet that follows the path of other models such as the Honor 6X and that will allow us to play with bokeh effects (blurring of the background or foreground objects ). We also find in the ZTE Blade V8 a secondary camera with a good resolution of 13 megapixels and flash for selfies , an eight-core processor along with 3 GB of RAM or the latest version of Android 7.0 Nougat . A complete mobile that only skirts the icing on its price, which will be revealed in the coming days. What we do know is that it will arrive in Spain from the month of March. We tell you all the details that have been revealed about this interesting mid-range smartphone.

Dual main chamber

It gives the impression that we are facing one of the trends in the world of smartphones during this 2017. If last year the use of cameras with double sensor was extended for the leading models, this year it could be a tonic within the teams of mid-range . The ZTE Blade V8 is one of the mobile will be part of this new batch, thanks to a double main camera with a sensor 13 megapixel annexe and 2 megapixels . In the first case we enjoy autofocus, while in the secondary sensor the focus is fixed. The purpose of this second sensor is to provide field information, so that we can play with bokeh effectsor blur. That is, we will have the option of placing the focus on an object in the scene or in the background and making the rest blur with much better results than with a single sensor. This retouch can be carried out even after the photo has been taken, opening up a world of creative possibilities. ZTE also wanted to highlight the option to create 3D photos , although we will have to see how this option works when we have the mobile in our hands.

The ZTE Blade V8 has a dual main camera to create quality blur or bokeh effects

As for the front camera , we are facing a sensor with a resolution of 13 megapixels should offer a good definition in selfies. Of course, this sensor combines light and shadow. For one, the focus is fixed, making some selfies more likely to be blurry . But the good news is that it incorporates its own flash , which can give us a lot of play on our night out.

Metallic design in four shades

The ZTE Blade V8 is a mid-range mobile that maintains the standard of recent times: a careful design with the use of metal as the main material. In your case, we can find this model in four different colors:  Rose Gold, Silver, Dark Gray and Champagne Gold . The back is very sober, with an upper and lower stripe somewhat darker than the main color. In addition, the sides have been roundedto make it easier to grip the device. The sensors of the main camera go somewhat unnoticed and are placed horizontally. But what really caught our attention is that the company has decided to move the fingerprint sensor from the rear to the front, while in other models such as the ZTE Axon 7 this sensor is below the main camera . By the way, the home button where the fingerprint reader is located is physical, a point that it shares with Samsung models .

The ZTE Blade V7 displays the ZTE logo at the top of the front frame, a position that is unusual.

Interestingly, just as the back is very clean, on the front it is surprising to find the ZTE logo on the upper frame (normally, if it is in front, it is on the lower part). This inclusion can be somewhat overwhelming, although it will take a closer look to reach a conclusion. As is usual in ZTE models, the speakers are located at the bottom of the mobile on both sides of the microUSB connector (in this case there is no USB Type-C port).

The dimensions of the ZTE Blade V8 are placed at  148.4 x 71.5 x 7.7 millimeters, which proves that we are facing a fairly stylish team. Of course, it is slightly thicker than the previous ZTE Blade V7 version (7.5 millimeters). The data that the Asian company has not yet revealed is the weight of the team. It is a detail that is interesting to know to be able to compare it with other models of a similar range, and with the same Blade from last year.

Full HD display

The screen of the ZTE Blade V8 is within the market standards. It includes a 2.5D curved glass cover for a more attractive touch, and goes up to a 5.2-inch format . Its resolution is Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 pixels , which gives us a density of 424 pixels per inch . This is a good level of detail to enjoy videos and movies, although it will be necessary to test how this panel behaves in aspects such as brightness or color treatment.

Medium technical set

The ZTE Blade V8 bets on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor with eight cores , four of them with a maximum speed of 1.4 GHz and another four with a speed of 1.1 GHz . It is far from the most powerful chips on the market, but it should not cause any problems if we use the usual functions of the smartphone. This processor is combined with a 3 GB memory , a good value for multitasking and having many processes running in the background. Regarding the internal memory, the ZTE Blade V8 incorporates an internal memory of the eMMC type of 32 GB. Nor is the fastest memories, but it can be enough to cope with heavy use of the phone with photos, apps and videos . If necessary, we always have the option of opting for a microSD memory card of up to 128 GB .

Operating system and connections

Here we find excellent news. The ZTE Blade V8 comes standard with Android 7 Nougat , the latest version of Google's operating system. That means that when it hits the market we will be able to enjoy an updated version of this platform. That is, we will have a mobile with the latest security patches and with all the news on this platform. Speaking of news, surely one of the most interesting is to enjoy its Doze solution , which serves to save energy when the mobile is not active and thus increase autonomy.

In the field of connections, this device incorporates the basic set, with WiFi connectivity , Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS . What remains to be confirmed is whether it will have NFC connectivity to carry out payments through mobile phones, although it does not seem the case.

Autonomy, price and opinions

The ZTE Blade V8 incorporates a 2,730 milliamp battery . The company has not provided the time of use that it will allow, although due to its capacity, size and resolution of the screen and the power it should give us without problems to complete a day of normal use. Of course, we do not expect a great autonomy from the Blade V8 . We have asked ZTE directly for the price of this terminal. For now, we can tell you that it will hit the Spanish market during the month of March. Taking into account the price of its older brother ZTE Blade V8 Pro , the price is likely to move around 200 euros. 

In short, in the absence of knowing this key detail, we are facing a team that can become an excellent mid-range proposal for users looking for a terminal around 200 euros . Its strongest points are its double main camera and its clean and attractive design in four different colors, with the use of metal.

ZTE Blade V8

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Price to be confirmed