ZTE reveals 5 new smartphones for the Malaysian market

ZTE has a goal in mind, to be able to sell you smartphones at an affordable price. To help achieve that goal, the Chinese manufacturer has announced 5 new smartphones for the Malaysian market today. These Android powered devices are priced in the range of RM 388 to RM 1,088. At the time of launch, all the devices are running on Android 4.4 KitKat.

ZTE Star 1

Spearheading the pack is the ZTE Star 1, a 5-inch device that has a full HD IPS LCD display (1920x1080 pixels, 441 ppi), 4G LTE connectivity, 1.6 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage that can be added up to 64 GB. As for the cameras, the device gets an 5MP front camera as well as an 8MP rear camera. As mentioned above, the Star 1 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and is powered by a 2,300 mAh battery.

In its press release, ZTE has claimed that the Star 1 has imaging capabilities that are 'comparable to a DSLR camera'. Personally, I think that's a wee bit of an exaggeration. That being said, the camera does have some stand out features like a 4cm macro, Clarity+ image sharpness enhancement and dual-tone flash. Even with all the bells and whistles, the camera still looks a long way from a DSLR but I guess we have to wait and see. The Star 1 is available in Black or White and is priced RM 1,088.

ZTE Blade VEC Pro

Right off the bat, the name already catches the eye. Have never heard a phone or tech device called blade, but feel free to call me out on it if there is such a device. Anyway, the ZTE Blade VEC Pro(name's a mouthful) features a 5-inch 720p display(1280x720 pixels, 293 ppi), a 1.4 GHz MediaTek (MT6592) octa-core processor with 1 GB of RAM and a 2,300 mAh battery. It also has 8 GB of internal memory, dual 3G SIM slots, a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. The back comes with a carbon fibre like pattern under a sheet of glass.

Well, my first impressions reading the specs on this are that it's actually quite a decent phone. The MediaTek core seems to be sufficient and the battery capacity is remarkably on par with the Star 1. Amazingly, the rear camera on this has a higher resolution than the Star 1 with this having 13 Mp to the latter's 8MP. All in all, should be a good pick up at RM 788.

ZTE Blade V5

Taking another level down the totem pole, we have the ZTE Blade V5(what's with ZTE with the Blade theme). This offering gets a 5-inch 720p display, 1.3 GHz MediaTek (MT6582) quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. In terms of imaging, it has a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera. Powering the Blade V5 is a slightly larger 2,400 mAh battery and it will sell for RM 688.

Seems to have really similar specs to to the VEC Pro with RM 100 less on its price tag, so I guess it's quite worth it. Still not sure why the most expensive model has the lowest rear camera resolution though.

ZTE Blade L2

The Blade L2 is is ZTE's entry-level model, coming with a price of just RM 488. The L2 has a MediaTek (MT6582) quad-core processor with 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The front still has a 5'' retina display but pushes a lower FWVGA (854x480) pixel resolution. The main camera shoots at 5MP while the secondary camera on the front has to make do with a basic VGA camera. The Blade L2 is powered by a modest 2,000 mAh capacity battery and has a thickness of 8.95mm.

Nothing particularly remarkable to write home about here, the L2 is exactly what it's made out to be: an entry-level smartphone. It's still a serviceable pickup at RM 488, so those on a budget should not worry too much.

ZTE Blade G Lux

The Blade G Lux, is the most affordable of the 5 phones shown having a price tag of just RM 388. The Blade G Lux gets a smaller 4.5'' display that also does FWVGA (854x480) resolution and is powered by a basic dual-core 1.3 GHz Mediatek (MT6572) processor that has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory which can be expanded upon via microSD. For those trigger happy people, the Blade G Lux has a 5 MP main camera and a VGA front shooter.

Personally I feel that for a RM 100 less, you are also getting way less bang for your buck here. Especially the lower resolution display and the basic dual-core processor with 4 GB less internal storage. I say if you can afford to spend an extra RM 100, go for the Blade L2.

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