Chinese smartphones zte nubia z7. Smartphone Zte Nubia Z7 Max with a high-quality video camera

Detailed testing of a new tablet phone from an advanced series

ZTE has once again updated its nubia smartphone line, which is positioned as a series of premium products. The main model in this series is now the flagship model called ZTE nubia Z7, which replaced its predecessors ZTE nubia Z5 and Z5s. Traditionally, the manufacturer simultaneously maintains several of these “premium models” in its assortment, united by the nubia line. Previously, there were two modifications: the flagship itself and its mini version, and we have already published a review of the new mini model called ZTE nubia Z7 mini). However, this time the Chinese also released the so-called “maxi” modification - a smartphone, which, in theory, should have been similar to the flagship in most characteristics, but surpassed it in size and screen area.

To our surprise, the ZTE nubia Z7 Max is actually no larger than the updated flagship, and in some ways even smaller. With similar physical screen sizes (with the same diagonal of 5.5 inches), the Max version had a lower screen resolution in pixels (1920x1080 versus 2560x1440 for the ZTE nubia Z7). Also, the “main” model has RAM increased to 3 GB, but otherwise both smartphones are almost the same.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the ZTE nubia Z7 Max smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Key Features of ZTE nubia Z7 Max (NX505J)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 4 Krait 400 cores, 2.5 GHz
• GPU Adreno 330
• operating room Android system 4.4.2
• Sensory IPS display 5.5″, 1920×1080, 400 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• Supports microSD memory cards up to 64 GB
• Communication GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Communication WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
• 4G data transmission: TDD-LTE (B38/B39/B40/B41), FDD-LTE (B1/B3/B7)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• USB 2.0, OTG
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, dot Wi-Fi access
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
• Camera 13 MP, F2.0, OIS, autofocus, 4K video
• Camera 5 MP (front)
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, electronic compass
• Li-ion battery 3100 mAh
• Dimensions 153×76×8.7 mm
• Weight 170 g

Contents of delivery

The new product received as packaging exactly the same type and structure of a box in which its brothers in the line were delivered. This is a small box, almost the size of a smartphone itself, made of hard white cardboard with a red layer in the middle. The packaging looks stylish and expensive due to the fact that there are no pictures on its surfaces and only the minimum necessary information is printed.

Inside, in two small compartments, a sparse set of accessories is stored: small in size Charger(5 V, 1.5 A), USB connection cable and several thin paper books. As in all cases with nubia series products, the packaging and its contents are presented so pretentiously that it immediately creates the most favorable mood for further acquaintance with the product.

Appearance and ease of use

In terms of size, the new product turned out to be quite large; a smartphone with such dimensions cannot be called compact, although the line separating a “compact smartphone” from a “shovel recorder” has recently become quite blurred. And yet, the ZTE nubia Z7 Max is a very large and quite heavy mobile device that fits in the palm of your hand, but it is absolutely impossible to operate it with the same hand.

At the same time, the smartphone is quite thin, the back cover is beveled towards the sides, and the surface has a rough, non-slip coating, which generally has a positive effect on the ease of holding the device in the hand. The smartphone does not slip out of your fingers, and there are practically no fingerprints left on it.

The body of the smartphone is entirely made of plastic, the surface of the plastic is rough, matte, but hard - there is no rubberized soft-touch effect here. The entire back cover covers not only the back part, but also the sides, fitting onto the frame of the smartphone like a casing. All hardware buttons, accordingly, are fixed on this very cover, so without it the device cannot be fully used.

Like other nubia products, the overall design of the ZTE nubia Z7 Max turned out to be very calm, the smartphone does not look expensive or stylish, it is a completely ordinary-looking, rustic mobile device made of matte plastic. The design of the new nubia certainly does not pretend to be premium; there is absolutely nothing to show off to the owner of this device. And at the same time, upon closer examination, the smartphone exudes some kind of nobility; judging by the quality of small elements, it becomes clear that this is not a product made from cheap Chinese crafts, it has a more impressive pedigree.

The ZTE nubia Z7 mini case has a monoblock structure with a removable back cover, which is held in place by several plastic latches. The cover can be easily removed; for this purpose, a corresponding ledge is provided at one of the ends. As already mentioned, all side keys are removed along with the cover.

Under the cover are two slots for Micro-SIM cards, as well as a microSD slot that supports the installation of memory cards up to 64 GB. To remove SIM cards from the slots, corresponding holes are made in the upper part, with which you can push the stuck card through. The battery here is tightly closed from the user's eyes with an additional casing; there is no direct access to it. Hot swapping of SIM cards is not supported; when changing, you must reboot the device. The slots are equivalent in their capabilities, but since there is only one radio module, only one of the SIM cards will work in 4G/3G at the same time, and the other at this moment functions only in 2G.

On the back surface there are several familiar elements: a small window of the main camera, framed by a metallized painted ring, next to it is the eye of a single-section LED flash, capable of working as a flashlight using a preinstalled program.

There is a slot cut at the bottom that allows sound to escape from the speaker. On the outer side near the hole there are two slightly protruding protrusions that prevent the sound from being muffled by the hard surface. I can’t say that this is the prettiest element of nubia devices - such a blackened emptiness of the gap clearly lacks at least some kind of metal grille. This, by the way, is one of the noticeable external differences between the cheaper modifications of the Z7 Max and Z7 mini from the main flagship: the ZTE nubia Z7 itself has a speaker grille made in the form of an array of small round holes, which looks much more expressive and aesthetically pleasing than this nondescript gap.

But the speaker located in the upper part of the front surface has a grille. The front panel is completely covered with flat protective glass Gorilla Glass 3. The front camera window and sensor eyes are hidden under glass in the upper part above the screen, next to the metal painted speaker grille.

The role of the indicator light here is traditionally played by a round touch button at the bottom under the screen. The circle slowly pulsates bright red to indicate charging modes and incoming events; it's called Breath Light. The indicator functions can be configured in a special section of the menu.

The two illuminated dots on the sides are the usual touch buttons Back and Menu, deprived of their classic designations. However, this option also has its advantages: since the buttons do not have icons with specific designations, their functions can be reassigned through a special menu (at least just swap the buttons).

Mechanical controls are located on one, right side of the device. Here you can find a lock button and a paired volume key. The location of the mechanical buttons is comfortable; you can easily reach any of them with one finger. The keys themselves are quite large and easy to find blindly. The key stroke is short, but quite elastic, there are no problems with this.

The universal Micro-USB connector is located at the bottom; it supports the mode for connecting external devices (OTG), so you can easily connect a flash drive to your smartphone and read information directly from it.

The audio jack for headphones (3.5 mm) is located at the top end. Next to it you can see the peephole of an infrared transmitter, which serves to emulate a remote control remote control. To work with it, the smartphone is pre-installed with the appropriate program, which contains numerous settings for working with various equipment, from TVs to set-top boxes. The sockets and connectors of the device are not covered with any plugs or covers, since the smartphone is not protected from water and dust. The ZTE nubia Z7 Max does not have a strap mount.

As for color options, there are traditionally only two for the ZTE nubia Z7 Max model: black and white. Let us remember, however, that the updated mini version of the flagship, ZTE nubia Z7 mini, is offered in a much wider range of different colors.

Screen

The ZTE nubia Z7 Max smartphone is equipped with an LCD touch matrix IPS type(CGS). The screen dimensions are 68x121 mm, diagonal - 5.5 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. Such a parameter as the density of dots here is 400 ppi - the density is not a record, but very high. The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 3 mm - the frames are quite narrow, but, for example, the recently introduced six-inch tablet Huawei Ascend Mate 7, which also managed to visit our laboratory, has even narrower side frames.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process multiple touches, but, traditionally for ZTE nubia mobile devices, more than three touches will be recognized only when gesture support is turned off, otherwise the device processes only three simultaneous touches.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The screen of this smartphone was initially, and most likely, factory-made. protective film, which we removed. The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - ZTE nubia Z7 Max, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the ZTE nubia Z7 Max is as dark as that of the Nexus 7. The ghosting of reflected objects in the screen of the ZTE nubia Z7 Max is very weak, this indicates that there is no air between the layers of the screen (more specifically between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix). gap (screen type OGS - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, maybe a little better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 395 cd/m², the minimum was 19 cd/m². The maximum brightness is quite high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be high level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (located under the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 19 cd/m² (normal), in an artificially lit office (approximately 400 lux) it sets to 190 cd/m² (suitable), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 370 cd/m² (not to the maximum, but this brightness is enough). As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is ​​used. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of ZTE nubia Z7 Max and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

Color reproduction is good and colors are rich on both screens. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, and the contrast remained at a high level. And a white field:

The brightness at the angle of the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), and decreased by approximately the same amount. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is lightened moderately or strongly and acquires a hue from red-violet to yellowish or remains approximately neutral gray. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

Along the other diagonal

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is not ideal; the black field has a pronounced tint and is not very dark:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is low - about 625:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 18 ms (9 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 30 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.19, which is almost equal to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:

Color gamut is sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is slightly compromised, since the color temperature is noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) over most of the gray scale is less than 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, but at the same time ΔE varies greatly from hue to hue - this negatively affects the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since there is no color balance of great importance, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

In this smartphone, in the screen settings, you can slightly reduce or increase color saturation (color contrast, the coverage does not change). Selecting a profile Glow, we get:

And the result when choosing a profile Soft:

If you look closely at the average colors in terms of saturation, you can determine that the result of the correction corresponds to the names of the profiles. In the first, the picture is a little brighter, more saturated, in the second - a little softer, paler. The color gradient test shows that even when selecting Standard there is a decrease in gradations in the area of ​​saturated colors, but in Soft everything is fine with gradations:

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, as well as the sRGB color gamut and acceptable color balance. The disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

Sonically new smartphone ZTE nubia is good as always. Nothing is said about the presence of a separate sound chip; perhaps it is not here, but there is support for Dolby Digital audio processing technology. The sound produced by the main speaker is generally not bad, no significant distortion was noticed, but this is not the loudest of smartphones. There are no distortions in the auditory dynamics; the voice of a familiar interlocutor, intonation and timbre are well recognizable. The music player is rich in possibilities, and the settings can be used to increase the volume and add bass frequencies. The smartphone comes standard with an FM radio, and there is also a voice recorder. The radio only works with connected headphones, which act as an antenna. The voice recorder can record a conversation from the line using standard tools; in the settings you can even set the recording of all telephone conversations in automatic mode.

Camera

The ZTE nubia Z7 Max smartphone is equipped with two modules digital cameras with a resolution of 13 and 5 megapixels. The main rear camera has a 13 megapixel matrix with a Sony Exmor IMX214 CMOS sensor with OIS optical stabilization, autofocus and a single-section LED flash. The camera shoots in a resolution of 4208x3120.

By default, the camera shoots in automatic mode, but there are two more in the settings: professional (Pro) and entertainment (Fun). In the latter, the user can apply any of the effects to the photo: “warm”, “lomo” or, for example, “fisheye”. In professional mode, it is possible to display a two-axis level and two types of grids on the screen (one of which is snail-shaped), as well as timer control. But the most interesting opportunity this mode— selecting the metering point manually. Two frames appear on the display: green and pink. Green is responsible for the focusing point, and pink is for the exposure metering point. To align the exposure on a specific object, you just need to move the pink dot to that object, and the camera will set the desired exposure.

The camera can shoot video in 1080p and UHD (4K) resolution; unfortunately, there is no 1080p mode at 60 fps. Examples of test videos are presented below.

• Video No. 1 (260 MB, 3840×2160 (4K))
• Video No. 2 (45 MB, 1920×1080)

Examples of photographs with our comments are presented below.

	The foliage is well done, but the sharpness drops noticeably in the corners.
	The camera copes with noise only halfway. Not everything has been processed.
	Good sharpness in distant shots.
	The camera handles shadows well, but to the detriment of light areas - the dynamic range is narrow.
	Even the numbers of distant cars can be distinguished.
	This photo perfectly demonstrates the identity of the camera modules in the “small” and “large” versions of the Z7.
	An example of a common focus error: the entire image is blurry.
	Good sharpness across the entire field of the frame and in the plans.
	The camera copes well with text.
	And she does macro quite well.

The camera turned out good. Even field shots are enough to understand that the camera module is the same as in the ZTE nubia Z7 mini, and therefore they cope with shooting in approximately the same way. The problem areas here are still the same: inappropriate sharpening, a shoddy noise reduction that processes only half of the noise (although it hides this half of the noise well). It should be noted that the sharpness of the Z7 Max camera is good - not always and not everywhere, but basically it handles details really well. It is also worth noting the problem with autofocus, which does not always work stably, so you will have to keep an eye on the camera when shooting.

In general, the camera, like that of the “small” nubia Z7, was a success. She will cope well with documentary photography, but a little worse with artistic photography.

Telephone and communications

ZTE nubia Z7 Max works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks; there is also support for fourth generation LTE (4G) networks, including those frequencies that operate in our country. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the device is confidently registered and works in the 4G network. Moreover, a SIM card in any of the slots copes with this successfully, but, as usual, only one of them can function in 4G/3G mode at the same time, and the second is limited to 2G mode at this time.

The smartphone supports NFC technology and can also be connected external devices(whether mice, keyboards or flash drives) to USB port. The navigation module supports both GPS and domestic Glonass, and the program also detected satellites of the Chinese Beidou network (they are indicated with red flags).

No spontaneous reboots/shutdowns were observed during testing. The screen of the smartphone is large, so drawing letters and numbers on the virtual keyboard is quite comfortable to control. By the way, for the convenience of working with one hand, there is a mode for reducing the size of the working screen. There is no dedicated top row with numbers on the standard keyboard - you will have to switch the layout every time. The layout itself and the location of the keys are standard: to switch the language layout, just press the button with the image of a globe. The phone application supports Smart Dial, but the popular swipe input method (Swype) was not found, at least in the European layout.

The smartphone supports working with two SIM cards, and in general, working with them in the menu is organized according to a familiar principle: you can designate any of the SIM cards as the main one for organizing voice calls, transferring data or sending SMS messages; When dialing a number, you can also select the desired card directly in the telephone interface. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G/4G networks, but only one of the cards can function in this mode at a time. The slots are equivalent in their capabilities, but since there is only one radio module, only one of the SIM cards will work in 4G/3G at the same time, and the other at this moment functions only in 2G. To change the assignment of slots, cards do not need to be swapped - this can be done directly from the phone menu.

OS and software

The system uses the Google Android software platform version 4.4.2 and the proprietary graphical user interface Nubia UI 2.0. The most noticeable feature of the shell is the lack of a separate application menu. Icons of installed programs are automatically laid out directly on the desktop, and the creation of folders is naturally supported.

There is a wide functionality for working with gestures, there are a lot of them in the menu, they are combined into several sections, and for each there is visual instructions. The notification panel is quite informative and has a navigation bar for accessing the most important functions, but it is not located at the top, like others, but at the bottom of the panel. Its content can be customized and sorted according to the user's own taste.

The organization of working with the screen with one hand is unusual: instead of bringing elements closer to one of the edges, the entire working screen itself is reduced in size. That is, when this function is enabled, a small copy of the desktop appears in the corner, any corner of which can be easily reached with the finger of one hand. Several different possible sizes are supported.

There are a sufficient number of pre-installed programs, but most of them are useless for us due to the lack of support for languages ​​other than Chinese - you need to manually install more familiar and familiar applications. And since our test device was intended for the Chinese market, and there, as you know, branded Google apps apps are not too popular, then the pre-installed application store Google Play it was not in the smartphone. We again had to resort to non-standard methods. Those who are interested can perform the operation themselves at their own risk. Just in case, we list the main steps.

To get started, install the necessary android tools for Windows. This is easy to do with (just in case, reboot after). Now download the archive with rooting tools. Unzip “TowelRoot v3.apk” and “SuperSU Pro v2.0.0.apk” to your smartphone’s memory. Install the first apk file through the smartphone explorer, launch the application and click “Make it rain” (an active Internet connection is required for successful rooting). Then run the second apk file and grant the application installed with it root rights.

Next comes the installation of CWM recovery. To avoid rebooting again, copy the archive with Google applications to your phone’s memory in advance. Now download the archive and extract its contents. Run “!flash_recovery.bat” and connect the phone in debug mode. It is enabled in the developer settings - this item appears in the settings menu if you click on “Build number” many times in the phone information. In the program window that appears, press “1” and “Enter”. After a few seconds, a couple of requests for root rights will appear on the phone, provide them. If successful, the phone will reboot into CWM recovery (it is controlled using the mechanical buttons of the smartphone). Select installation from internal memory, and then the copied archive with applications. Before rebooting into Android, the smartphone may complain about problems with root rights; in this dialog box we selected “fix”. Then the smartphone rebooted and Google applications started working without problems.

Performance

The ZTE nubia Z7 Max hardware platform is based on the most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 single-chip system (SoC) with four Krait 400 cores. This platform has the functionality of Snapdragon 800 with a slightly higher frequency of processor cores: Snapdragon 801 can operate at frequencies up to 2.5 GHz, while the core frequency of the previous version of the chip was limited to 2.3 GHz. The presented model uses the maximum version of the platform - MSM8974AC. Graphics processing in the smartphone is handled by the Adreno 330 video accelerator. The amount of RAM is 2 GB, and about 23 GB of the nominally designated 32 GB of internal memory is available for the user’s needs in the device. The amount of internal memory can be further increased using microSD cards: the smartphone supports such cards up to 64 GB. You can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port using a special adapter in OTG mode.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

Based on benchmark testing results, the device proved to be one of the most powerful and productive modern mobile devices on the market. In the AnTuTu test, the subject showed even higher results than the generally recognized world leaders had demonstrated before him. True, it is not yet entirely clear how the results of the two versions of the popular benchmark correlate with each other, because now the fourth version has been replaced by the fifth, and all new devices are now tested in it. For now, we will have to mark on the plates in which versions of the benchmark this or that model was tested. However, the difference is probably not so great; all top smartphones based on the Snapdragon 801 are, in any case, the most powerful mobile devices on the market today, the power of which will be enough to perform any task for a long time.

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

According to the testing results, the ZTE nubia Z7 Max smartphone pleasantly surprised us with the presence of full support for all necessary decoders in its smartphones. Unlike most of the reviewed devices from other companies, the capabilities of the built-in video player here were enough for trouble-free playback of all our standard test videos. At the same time, no problems were observed with the sound, and in the third-party MX player you don’t even have to switch to hardware playback in Hardware+. That is, to put it simply, this device will play any video downloaded from the network without any problems.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests, we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware+” mode. The test results are summarized in the table: Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The smartphone can even display files with a resolution of 4K up to 30 fps inclusive. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p), the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the edge of the screen and in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights - which is what is required for correct playback of typical video files.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery built into the device is a decent 3100 mAh. However, even with such a large battery capacity, the device did not set any records, showing decent results, but nothing more.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted 15.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality(HQ) with the same brightness level via home Wi-Fi network the device lasted about 8.5 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for a little more than 4 hours.

Bottom line

As for the cost of the new product, it is not yet known at what price this device will be officially sold on the Russian market, but unofficial suppliers are already offering it for approximately 18 thousand rubles. During the presentation in China, the new product was priced at $320. For this money, the user receives an excellent, high-quality and balanced product, very little different from the flagship of the nubia brand. High-quality materials and assembly, good ergonomics, a good camera, excellent screen and platform - all this is worthy of praise in itself, but especially considering the more than reasonable price. Unfortunately, this statement is only true for the Chinese market - this excellent smartphone will reach us at a much higher price.

Introduction

This summer, the Chinese company ZTE announced three smartphones in the Nubia line: 7 mini, 7 and the “semi-flagship” MAX. Why is it half flagship? The fact is that the “seven” is simply equipped with a high-resolution screen, it has 3 GB of RAM instead of two in the MAX. Agree, it’s a little strange to give a gadget the prefix MAX, given that it does not have the maximum configuration.

Unfortunately, this event was not celebrated by the local ZTE representative office, and the device itself is not officially sold in Russia. To test the Nubia 7 MAX smartphone, I had to order it from China; information about the online store can be found at the end of the review.

The device is notable for the fact that it runs the latest version of Google Android, the “heart” is one of the most productive solutions – Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, the screen, although not “top-end”, deserves respect – 5.5 inches IPS-FHD. 13 MP camera with F2.0 aperture with many “soft” bells and whistles such as long exposure shooting; There are many manual camera settings. The battery didn’t disappoint either – 3100 mAh. The device operates without problems in Russian networks not only 2G/3G, but also 4G!

On the ZTE MAX network it costs about $370, that is, approximately 15,000 rubles. We ordered it before the dollar exchange rate jumped, so the smartphone cost us less.

Design, dimensions, control elements

When testing the previous generation of Nubia devices, in particular the Z5, it felt like the developer spent a lot of time and effort on creating the product. It took me a whole section to describe the materials and appearance gadget. This time, the company either didn’t have enough money for a designer, or they didn’t care what the appearance of the new product would be, the main thing was to install a cooler filling. In general, Nubia 7 MAX is much simpler than its predecessor.

There are two colors of the “seven”: white and black. I mainly saw only the black device on sale. The front side is dark and merges with the screen matrix, so it looks quite interesting. The edge frame rises slightly above the screen, thereby protecting it from external influences - for example, if you place the phone face down on a horizontal surface. The edging is made of metal and painted black. In Nubia 5 the frame was thicker, solidity, quality, and security were felt. In Nubia 7 all these things are not perceived. You can guess that the edging is metal only by scratching the material.

The back cover is made entirely of dark gray plastic, covered with a soft-touch layer. The body shape is rectangular, the side edges are smooth.

The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and has an oleophobic coating, although it is not very effective. The finger glides over the surface perfectly. Fingerprints remain on the screen, but are erased quickly and easily. After several weeks of active use of the smartphone, there was not a single scratch left on the glass, the body did not rub, and the paint did not peel off anywhere.

Despite the fact that the case is collapsible, I had the full feeling that the cover still could not be removed, and the people writing about the 7 MAX online were nothing but lies. The device is really well-assembled: the lid fits tightly, does not play or creak, the gadget does not crunch when squeezed tightly, and the case does not make any sounds even when twisted. With this, it’s not scary to go on reconnaissance :)

The voice speaker is located in the place where it is usually found on all phones - at the top center. Covered with a black metal mesh. The speaker volume is very high, approximately at the Samsung level Galaxy Note 3/4, Apple iPhone 5/5S/6 or LG G3. The timbre is pleasant, both high and low frequencies can be heard. The interlocutor can be heard clearly and intelligibly.

Under the speaker are light and proximity sensors. They work quite correctly. To the right of them is the front camera with a wide-angle lens.

The signature red round touch button (“endless possibilities”) is located under the display. To the right and left of it are touch buttons. They glow red. The brightness of the backlight can be set manually or entrusted to automation. In addition, the round button flashes while skipping various events.

At the bottom end there is a micro-USB connector, enclosed in a light metal casing. Considering that the entire case is black, the “micro usb” stands out. To the right of it is the main microphone.

On top is a 3.5 mm audio output for headphones or a headset, next to it is an IR transmitter. Its presence is due only to the fact that it is in Samsung S5 and some others popular models, and not because it is really necessary.

On the right side of the device there is a volume rocker key, and just below is the power button. They are made of glossy plastic, rise slightly above the body, their pressure is soft, and their travel is small. The button to activate the screen backlight (lock) is located well, exactly under the thumb of the right hand.

The camera, recessed into the body and framed by a red metal ring, flash, speaker and second microphone are located on the back of the device.

To remove the back cover, you need to pry it out of the notch on the lower left corner. On the back of the panel there is an NFC antenna. The top and bottom parts of the case are plastic, and the rest of the interior is made of dark-colored metal. WITH right side– three connectors: for microSD, microSIM1 and microSIM2. Only the SIM1 slot (2G/3G/4G) works for data transfer; SIM2 can only receive and send calls and SMS. Strange, of course, but nothing can be done about these Chinese phones. There is only one radio module here!

In general, the impression of the appearance is positive. The main thing is that the ergonomics of the design are excellent, given the considerable dimensions of the device (153x76x8.7 mm). If you are interested in the weight, it is 170 grams.

Comparative sizes:

ZTE and Apple iPhone 5

Display

The ZTE Nubia 7 MAX has a screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. Once again, the manufacturer follows the fashion of increasing the screen size. Physical size – 68x122 mm, frame on top – 14 mm, bottom – 17 mm, right and left – just under 4 mm.

The resolution, unlike Nubia 7, is FullHD, that is, 1080x1920 pixels – that’s 400 pixels per inch. Quite a decent indicator, pixelation is not noticeable, detail is excellent.

The matrix is ​​made according to IPS technology, there is no air gap between the glass and the screen. The viewing angles are large, when the display is tilted, the picture is not distorted, does not turn purple or yellow, and the brightness decreases slightly. White color seemed to me the most natural; The “depth” of black color is good, there is no matrix flare. The colors are rich and pleasing to the eye. In the settings there are three saturation points and three color temperature selection points. I advise you to leave everything as it is by default.

Overall, the Nubia 7 MAX display left only positive impressions.

The touch layer handles up to 10 simultaneous touches. The sensitivity is excellent.

Screen Settings:

Black color

White color

Viewing Angles

Comparison with Huawei Ascend Mate 7 (left – ZTE, right – Mate 7):

Battery

The ZTE smartphone uses a non-removable lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery with a capacity of 3100 mAh. The manufacturer does not provide any figures, but we are not offended by this - we will test the sample ourselves.

If you use the phone for about 20-23 hours, the battery will be completely discharged provided 30 minutes of calls per day, 6 hours of constant use of Wi-Fi Internet (Twitter, mail, downloading applications and installing them), about 5 hours mobile internet and an hour of listening to music.

You can listen only to music for 30 hours, watch only video (maximum screen brightness, high volume, movie resolution - HD 720p) - 6-7 hours. If you want to play toys (for example, GTA SA), the battery will run out after 3-4 hours.

In general, the expected performance, given the fairly capacious battery, is not the largest screen.

Communication capabilities

This model, despite its origin, works with 2G (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), 3G (850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100), and most importantly - with our 4G LTE. Tested it on the MegaFon network - the flight is normal. For 4G to function, you need to go to settings, select the “Msim” section and click on Card One. Next, enable 4G Mode. Let me remind you once again that the slot for data transfer is SIM1.

There is an NFC chip and Android Beam is enabled. There is Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, WiFi hotspot), Bluetooth version 4.0 (A2DP). USB 2.0 (OTG) is used for file transfer and data synchronization.

The device easily finds up to 50 satellites (GPS - Qualcomm® IZat™ Gen8B) in a few seconds, even near a window during a “cold” start. Frankly speaking, I am very surprised by the sensitivity.

Memory and memory card

Nubia 7 MAX uses 2 GB of RAM, with an average of about 900 MB free. The older Nubia model has 3 GB of RAM.

Despite the fact that the device has 32 GB of internal memory, the manufacturer installed a slot for a microSD memory card. The maximum volume is 64 GB.

Camera

The device was equipped with two camera modules: the first and main – 13 MP with autofocus, lens aperture F2.0; the second is a front-facing 5 MP without autofocus, with a wide viewing angle, lens aperture F2.3.

Although from a software point of view the gadget was fully equipped, most of the features turned out to be practically useless, especially the “FUN” section. But first things first.

The quality of the photos, it seemed to me, deteriorated a little with the firmware update. However, there was nowhere to go: either stable operation of the device and poor quality of frames, or a glitch on a glitch and decent quality of frames.

The minimum ISO value is 100, the maximum ISO value is 1600. The minimum shutter speed is 1/5000 second, the maximum value is 1 second. There is no optical stabilizer, so the tips include instructions for using a tripod.

I got the impression that the developers were unable to come up with a correct algorithm for processing photos, since it feels like there is potential. Probably, a weak module was installed in this model: a lot of colored noise, blurring of image details, and so on.

There is a separate noise removal option in the settings, but it works extremely aggressively, turning the picture into a soapy blur. In short, it lacks better detail.

Autofocus doesn't work well: sometimes it doesn't focus even by tapping. It can be configured manually, but this function is poorly implemented: a bar with a scale appears at the bottom, which must be scrolled either to the right or to the left. At the same time, it is not clear from the display where exactly the focus is “directed”. Typically, in such situations, the central area of ​​the frame is enlarged to correctly adjust sharpness.

In short, the ZTE 7 MAX does not take very good photographs, but there is potential - all hope is in the firmware!

The device can record video in resolutions up to 3840 x 2160 at 30 frames per second (in low light - 10 fps). The quality is amazing, much better than any camera phone that records in FullHD. From videos on Nubia 7 MAX it is easy to select screenshots that are not much inferior to photographs. The focus can be selected either permanently or by tap. The sound is clear, mono, although there are two microphones.

The front camera takes five-megapixel images of excellent quality. Video – 720r.

EXIF information

Settings. Bottom left to right: gallery, switching to video mode, shooting, switching to photo mode, additional options (Auto, Pro and Fun). At the top are settings, turning the flash on or off, OnLine tips on how to take photographs correctly, a timer and switching to front camera.

Camera settings:

Video camera settings:

Additional options . On the right you can easily switch the device to Pro or Fun mode. In the first case, you have access to the camera with separate autofocus and exposure (the circle is the choice of the exposure point, and the square is the focus), night mode through the settings. In the second case, the following effects are available:

• Star Track. Very long shutter speed
• Galaxy Photo. About the same as ST
• Light painting. Long exposure and increased contrast
• SuperNight. Increase the shutter speed again, theoretically you can shoot handheld
• Crystal. Not entirely clear and intelligible effect
• Multi Exposure. Combining multiple images
• Deleting objects
• Object tracking. Several frames are taken where the object is constantly in focus. The trajectory of movement is drawn
• Video editor
• Effects
• Panorama
• Series of frames

Some effects, frankly speaking, are incomprehensible to me or duplicate each other. There is a SloMo video, but it is recorded in 480p resolution.

Video file characteristics:

• File Format: MP4
• Video codec: AVC, 20Mbps
• Resolution: 3840x2160, 30 fps
• Audio codec: AAC, 96 Kbps
• Channels: 1 channel, 48 kHz

Example photo with front camera:

Performance

This model contains one of the most powerful chips - Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AC: 4 processor cores based on Krait 400 architecture, the frequency of each can reach 2.5 GHz, 28 nm process technology. Adreno 330 (578 MHz) is used as a video accelerator. Read more about the chip on the official page.

Before the firmware update, the device behaved extremely unstable: it rebooted, got warm, could drop a call during a call, and could not update itself, which is the saddest thing. I had to update it manually. At the moment, the latest Firmware is V14.07.25 or build number NX505J_CNCommon_V1.41, Android version 4.4.2.

It was on this firmware that everything fell into place. The smartphone stopped slowing down and glitching. Games run without any problems.

Screenshots from games:

Performance tests:

The ZTE 7 MAX has a proprietary shell. To unlock the display, you need to press the power button and drag the lock icon to the center of the screen. If you pull it further, the camera will start. Not very comfortable.

There is no menu, all icons are presented on virtual desktops. Pinch – displays all tables. You can place up to 5 icons in the bottom panel.

The notification panel extends from the top. In its lower part, various functions are enabled or disabled: Wi-Fi. Bluetooth, data transfer, GPS and so on. The number of these icons is adjusted in the settings.

Otherwise, the changes are shallow, the shell is relatively simple and vague, I would say that it is primitive.

It should be noted that the device does not have Google Play services; you must install them yourself. There is some Russian language, mostly everything is in Chinese or English.

If you open the developer options, you can see this animation:

Multimedia

Music player. After launch, two large folders appear in front of you: all albums and favorites. Below is a playlist, albums, artists, folders, download manager and more.

The speaker volume is slightly above average, the quality is not bad. If you close the speaker hole, the volume level will drop to almost zero.

The volume in the headphones is very high, all the “ears” in my collection are swaying. So, if you want loudness as loud as possible, get the Nubia and you won't go wrong. I really liked the quality: the sound is powerful, rich, the bass is pleasant, there are some highs.

There is an equalizer in the settings. There is FM radio.

The smartphone can play, as you might guess, video in any resolution, including 4K.

Conclusion

Today, the “gray” ZTE Nubia 7 MAX (and, unfortunately, there is no other one yet) can be bought for 18,000 rubles or ordered from China a little cheaper. It seems to me that the cost is quite justified, since this is one of the most powerful smartphones.

I consider the following to be the main positive aspects:

• Powerful processor
• Capacious battery
• High-quality screen matrix
• Very loud noise in headphones
• Headphone sound quality
• Availability of radio (lately there is no FM in flagships)
• Two SIM cards
• 4G operation in Russian networks
• Availability of a slot for microSD with 32 GB of internal memory
• Video recording in 4K resolution
• High quality build

Obvious disadvantages:

• The system is not yet 100% stable
• Lack of Google services out of the box
• Dull and non-functional shell

If we talk about the camera, it is weak, but it takes pictures better than many devices in this price category.

Despite the presence of official suppliers of its products, the Chinese giant is little known in our country, and if the average user has encountered models from this company, it is most likely with inexpensive budget solutions. But its range includes products that, in terms of their characteristics and workmanship, can compete with the flagship devices of leading brands.

One of them will become the hero of this review. ZTE Nubia Z7 Max is part of the updated Nubia 7 line of premium devices, which in addition to it there are two more smartphones: ZTE Nubia 7Z Mini and ZTE Nubia 7.

You shouldn’t pay much attention to the “Max” prefix, since the most powerful device in the line in terms of characteristics is the ZTE Nubia 7, while the Nubia Z7 Max and Nubia 7Z Mini are positioned as junior models and differ only in size.

Specifications

On paper, we have before us another “shovel phone” with a modern filling and at a very reasonable price - if you buy it in stores, and very tempting if you order directly from China. Let's see if he can surprise us.

Packaging and equipment

The ZTE model comes in a small, nice-looking box made of thick cardboard.

On the front side there is only the name of the line to which the device belongs - Nubia.

At the beginning of June, the official presentation of the long-awaited flagship line of ZTE Nubia smartphones took place. One of the presented models was the ZTE Nubia Z7 Max gadget. The huge demand for new flagships is evidenced by the fact that almost 53 thousand Nubia Z7 devices were sold in the first 4.5 minutes. How many of them were ZTE Nubia Z7 Max is unknown, but we can say for sure about the cost. The price of the Nubia Z7 Max is about $320 (or 1999 yuan), when ordering the cost with delivery to the Russian Federation is from 13,500 rubles to 15,000 with kopecks. For now, the new product can be purchased (or ordered) only in the Middle Kingdom. The gadget will officially appear in Europe and the USA a little later.

Does the level of this device correspond to the hype that is observed around it? Based on the vision of our Chinese colleagues who have already formed a definite opinion about the Nubia Z7 Max, let's figure it out together.

Specifications ZTE Nubia Z7 Max

• The volume of permanent memory is 32 GB.
• Display 5.5 inches, resolution 1920x1080, IPS, pixel density – 403 ppi.
• The main camera is 13 MP, made by Sony, with autofocus and flash. Front camera 5 MP.
• Dimensions 152.7 x 76 x 8.7mm.
• Weight 160g.
• Battery capacity 3100 mAh.
• New Android 4.4 KitKat OS, Nubia UI 2.5 user interface.
• 2 MicroSIM slots.
• 4G (TD-LTE, FDD-LTE), 3G?TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, CDMA2000, 2G?GSM).
• Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, MicroSD memory card slot.

Equipment ZTE Nubia Z7 Max

• Smartphone (+non-removable battery 3100 mAh)
• Charger (for now only for Chinese sockets)
• USB cable
• Standard set of documents

Appearance

ZTE Nubia Z7 Max is the widest model in the top line. 7.6 centimeters of width make themselves felt. If it weren't for the thin body, it probably wouldn't be very comfortable to hold in one hand. In our case, the Z7 Max fits neatly in the hand and, thanks to the matte surface of the rear panel (soft-touch coating that is pleasant to the touch), does not slip in it. In addition, fingerprints are practically invisible on the matte finish. The body is put together well. There are no complaints about backlash or squeaks. The style of the Nubia Z7 Max is identical to the design of all three models of the new Z7 line - thin, elegant edges, slightly rounded corners.

The front panel of the new product is, of course, glossy. The side bezels of the screen are quite thin. Above the screen we see a speaker grille and a 5-megapixel front camera. There is also a set of necessary sensors. Below the display there are 3 touch buttons (only the central one is highlighted in red).

To remove the back cover, you need to carefully pry up the gap at the bottom of the case. Thus, you will have access to 3 sequential slots (two for microSIM cards and one more for installing a memory card up to 64 GB). The battery of this model is non-removable and has a capacity of 3100 mAh.

At the top end of the ZTE Nubia Z7 Max there is a headphone output (3.5 mm) and an infrared transmitter for remote control of TVs, air conditioners and other devices.

At the bottom end there is a hole for a speaking microphone and USB port, not protected from dust (no cover).

The left side panel of the new product is empty; on the right there is a volume control and a power/unlock button. Both elements have a small stroke and a glossy finish.

On the rear panel of the Nubia Z7 Max there is a 13-megapixel main camera with a red rim around the circumference, a flash, an additional microphone and a system speaker. There is also the corporate logo of the Nubia line and the address of the official website (nubia.cn). For the Z7 Max, as for the older Z7 model, there are rear panels in only 2 colors (black and white).

Display

Nubia Z7 Max is equipped with a very high-quality 5.5-inch IPS OGS display with a matrix resolution of 1920x1080 (or Full HD). 5.5” is the maximum screen size in the Nubia line. Pixel density 403 ppi. Of course, we can’t talk about any pixelation. The quality of color reproduction is at a high level, the viewing angles are wide. The display brightness is set manually and automatically.

Brightness comparison with ZTE Grand S2

The strongest third generation Gorilla Glass is used to protect the display from damage. There are no complaints about the display sensor; there is a multi-touch function (more than 5 touches).

Platform, Performance, Tests

The hardware of the smartphone from ZTE is represented by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) chipset with a 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 330 graphics accelerator. This chipset is new, introduced only at the beginning of 2014. It is based on 28 nm architecture and supports the ARMv7 instruction set. GPU Adreno 330 works with OpenGL ES 3.0 and Direct3D 9.0c. RAM Nubia Z7 Max – 2 GB.

Popular synthetic benchmarks rated our gadget as follows:

As you can see, the ANTUTU rating put our Nubia Z7 Max in third place, ahead of even the LG G2 and LG G3. The performance of other tests is also at a high level. The most modern games run without problems. Videos with a resolution of 1080p and 720p are played without slowdown (even the MKV format).

The smartphone confidently holds the network. The first SIM card supports 4G, 3G and 2G networks, the second - only 2G (GSM).

The Wi-Fi module works correctly and does not lose the network. There is also NFC function for connection by simple touch. Bluetooth, of course, is there. It is not yet possible to test the operation of GPS in our conditions. All sensors (including gravity sensor, electronic compass, gyroscope and others) can be used.

Sound

The system speaker of the ZTE Nubia Z7 Max provides good sound quality. The sound is loud and clear, but there is no obvious bass. DOLBY and DTS systems are designed to significantly improve sound quality. In headphones, the sound will depend on the level of their speakers.

The standard player not only allows you to play all popular audio files, but also has a nice, unobtrusive interface (album covers are displayed).

Battery

As we noted earlier, the new product is equipped with a non-removable Li-Ion battery with a capacity of as much as 3100 mAh. Battery tests were performed at 100% display brightness. Thus, when playing a video in 720p MKV format lasting 30 minutes, the charge dropped by only 6%. Next, one of the popular games(also within half an hour). The battery has discharged another 10%. Another 30 minutes of playing video from the Internet via Wi-Fi – minus 8%. A total of 76% charge remained after 1.5 hours of use. Those. If you do not abuse power-intensive functions, Nubia Z7 Max can work autonomously for several days. In standby mode (GSM), the manufacturer promises up to 720 hours.

Camera

The camera is a point of particular pride for the gadget in question. It uses a high-quality 13-megapixel IMX214 CMOS-type matrix from Sony. It has high sensitivity, which allows you to shoot even at poor lighting. It is also important that the lens aperture has a fairly high F/2.0 value, and a second-generation optical stabilization system is also provided. Autofocus and flash are present.

An example of taking a photo with a ZTE Nubia Z7 Max camera

Neovision 4.0 proprietary software, thanks to its rich functionality, leaves a pleasant impression. There are 3 main shooting modes: Auto (automatic), Pro (professional) and Fun (color filters, entertainment). Among the interesting subject programs for shooting it is worth highlighting: Blur background, Night photography, HDR.

PRO MODE SCREEN

During shooting, you can also adjust various parameters (for example, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, etc.).

The front camera is good for more than just video calls. She also takes good quality photos.

Interface, software, etc.

ZTE Nubia Z7 Max received the most latest version OS Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The proprietary Nubia UI 2.5 shell is used as the user interface. This is a slightly modified version of Nubia UI 2.0.

Quite a nice shell. The style cannot be called minimalistic, but there is nothing superfluous here. Everything is thought out. The design of the labels is also interesting. The display is unlocked using a red semicircle.

You can also activate a simplified interface type (Easy Mode).

All the innovative features of Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS are available. So far the shell is localized only for China, but on Aliexpress and some other online hypermarkets in China, some sellers offer ZTE Nubia Z7 Max with Russian localization.

Pros/Cons

PROS

• Great design and build.
• Large FHD display.
• Powerful hardware platform.
• New Android OS with a nice interface.
• Great main camera.
• Infrared port.

MINUSES

• There is no confirmed data on the availability of Russified versions.

Overall, it seems that the ZTE Nubia Z7 Max will be one of the sales leaders in the top-end phablet segment at the end of 2014. There are all the prerequisites for this. If you asked me if I wanted one for myself? I would answer: give me two. All you have to do is wait for the gadget to debut in Europe, or order it in China