ZTE Blade A711 Review

After the announcement that the ZTE Blade A711 (internationally known as Blade X9) will be available in the Philippines, we managed to get our busy hands on a demo unit from Lazada.  It has attracted some serious attention from potential buyers due to its set of nice features like a fingerprint sensor and an all-metal body for a good asking price. How well do all these features perform? Read our full review of the device.

Design and Construction

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-12

The Blade A711 sports a 5.5-inch IPS display with some noticeable bezels around the panel. As a usual setup for smartphones, we have the speaker for calls up top and they are flanked by sensors and the 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. The device has rounded corners which is dictated by a thin plate-like frame surrounding the screen.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-6

It employs three capacitive buttons namely Options, Home, and Back. The Home button has an LED light that helps when you’re using the phone in the dark. It also adds a nice aesthetic touch with its glowing blue hue that glows when the phone is charging or when someone messages you.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-8

The upper right side of the handset is where all the physical buttons are grouped together. Here we have the volume rocker just above the power/lock screen button. Additionally, the Blade A711 has an average thickness of 8.6mm.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-3

At the back, we have the eye-catching 13-megapixel shooter outlined by another blue accent. We noticed that this part protrudes and is a bit off-putting and distracts from the elegant build it’s got going on. The rear shooter is accompanied by a single LED flash for capturing photos in low-lit areas. Also prevalent on the rear is the built-in fingerprint sensor which has a chrome trimming and hints a classy touch.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-2

Down below, we see the lonesome speaker grill situated under the company’s branding. We commend the logo having been engraved instead of simply being printed. This results in a more premium look in general.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-13

At the top left is where the dual SIM tray resides. Just like the other smartphones today, the SIM 2 slot also acts as the expansion for memory thru a microSD card.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-9

At 160 grams, the smartphone isn’t that lightweight but handles just right when you use it. The smooth metal back feels good to the touch, but makes the device a bit slippery. Its overall form factor and ergonomics aren’t something new, so users who have previously handled a 5.5-inch phablet will feel familiar with the Blade A711.

Next page: Display and Multimedia, Camera, and OS, UI, and Apps

The post ZTE Blade A711 Review appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ZTE Blade A711 first impressions, benchmarks

After the announcement that the ZTE Blade A711 (internationally known as Blade X9) will be available in the Philippines, we managed to get our busy hands on a demo unit from Lazada.  It has attracted some serious attention from potential buyers due to its set of nice features like a fingerprint sensor and an all-metal body for a good asking price. Read on our first impressions on the device.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-12

The Blade A711 sports a 5.5-inch IPS display with some noticeable bezels around the panel. As a usual setup for smartphones, we have the speaker for calls up top and they are flanked by sensors and the 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. The device has rounded corners which is dictated by a thin plate-like frame surrounding the screen.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-6

It employs three capacitive buttons namely Options, Home, and Back. The Home button has an LED light that helps when you’re using the phone in the dark. It also adds a nice aesthetic touch with its glowing blue hue.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-8

The upper right side of the handset is where all the physical buttons are grouped together. Here we have the volume rocker just above the power/lock screen button. Additionally, the Blade A711 has an average thickness of 8.6mm.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-3

At the back we have the eye-catching 13-megapixel shooter outlined by another blue accent. It is accompanied by a single LED flash for capturing photos in low-lit areas. Also prevalent on the rear is the built-in fingerprint sensor which has a chrome trimming that hints a classy touch.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-2

Down below, we see the lonesome speaker grill situated under the company’s branding. We commend the logo having been engraved instead of simply being printed. This results in a more premium look in general.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-13

At the top left is where the dual SIM tray resides. Just like the other smartphones today, the SIM 2 slot also acts as the expansion for memory thru a microSD card.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-9

At 160 grams, the smartphone isn’t that lightweight, but handles just right when you use it. The smooth metal back feels good to the touch, but makes the device a bit slippery. Its overall form factor and ergonomics aren’t something new, so users who have previously handled a 5.5-inch phablet will feel familiar with the Blade A711.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-benchmarks

We’ve downloaded some of our usual benchmarking apps and let this device go at it. Below are the scores:

  • AnTuTu v5.7.1 – 31,538
  • Quadrant Standard – 22,429
  • Vellamo – 1,573 (Multicore), 1,163 (Metal), 2,056 (Chrome Browser)

Regarding software bugs such as randomly shutting down, ZTE says that they have already fixed the issue before sending the stocks here in the Philippines. We’ll test its performance further in our review.

The ZTE Blade A711 is scheduled to be available exclusively to Lazada on Januray 14, 2016, at 12 noon for Php7,690. That’s it for now, and stay tuned as we prepare for the full review just before it becomes available online.

ZTE Blade A711 (Blade X9) specs:
5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 401ppi
1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core CPU
Adreno 405 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 128GB microSD (via SIM 2 slot)
13MP rear AF camera w/ LED flash
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
DTS Audio
Fingerprint scanner
Android 5.1 Lollipop w/ Nubia UI 3.0
3,000mAh battery
155.3 x 77.2 x 8.6 mm
160g

The post ZTE Blade A711 first impressions, benchmarks appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

ZTE Blade A711 first impressions, benchmarks

After the announcement that the ZTE Blade A711 (internationally known as Blade X9) will be available in the Philippines, we managed to get our busy hands on a demo unit from Lazada.  It has attracted some serious attention from potential buyers due to its set of nice features like a fingerprint sensor and an all-metal body for a good asking price. Read on our first impressions on the device.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-12

The Blade A711 sports a 5.5-inch IPS display with some noticeable bezels around the panel. As a usual setup for smartphones, we have the speaker for calls up top and they are flanked by sensors and the 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. The device has rounded corners which is dictated by a thin plate-like frame surrounding the screen.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-6

It employs three capacitive buttons namely Options, Home, and Back. The Home button has an LED light that helps when you’re using the phone in the dark. It also adds a nice aesthetic touch with its glowing blue hue.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-8

The upper right side of the handset is where all the physical buttons are grouped together. Here we have the volume rocker just above the power/lock screen button. Additionally, the Blade A711 has an average thickness of 8.6mm.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-3

At the back we have the eye-catching 13-megapixel shooter outlined by another blue accent. It is accompanied by a single LED flash for capturing photos in low-lit areas. Also prevalent on the rear is the built-in fingerprint sensor which has a chrome trimming that hints a classy touch.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-2

Down below, we see the lonesome speaker grill situated under the company’s branding. We commend the logo having been engraved instead of simply being printed. This results in a more premium look in general.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-13

At the top left is where the dual SIM tray resides. Just like the other smartphones today, the SIM 2 slot also acts as the expansion for memory thru a microSD card.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-9

At 160 grams, the smartphone isn’t that lightweight, but handles just right when you use it. The smooth metal back feels good to the touch, but makes the device a bit slippery. Its overall form factor and ergonomics aren’t something new, so users who have previously handled a 5.5-inch phablet will feel familiar with the Blade A711.

zte-blade-a711-review-philippines-benchmarks

We’ve downloaded some of our usual benchmarking apps and let this device go at it. Below are the scores:

  • AnTuTu v5.7.1 – 31,538
  • Quadrant Standard – 22,429
  • Vellamo – 1,573 (Multicore), 1,163 (Metal), 2,056 (Chrome Browser)

Regarding software bugs such as randomly shutting down, ZTE says that they have already fixed the issue before sending the stocks here in the Philippines. We’ll test its performance further in our review.

The ZTE Blade A711 is scheduled to be available exclusively to Lazada on Januray 14, 2016, at 12 noon for Php7,690. That’s it for now, and stay tuned as we prepare for the full review just before it becomes available online.

ZTE Blade A711 (Blade X9) specs:
5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 401ppi
1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core CPU
Adreno 405 GPU
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 128GB microSD (via SIM 2 slot)
13MP rear AF camera w/ LED flash
5MP front camera
Dual-SIM
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio
DTS Audio
Fingerprint scanner
Android 5.1 Lollipop w/ Nubia UI 3.0
3,000mAh battery
155.3 x 77.2 x 8.6 mm
160g

The post ZTE Blade A711 first impressions, benchmarks appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Comparison: ZTE Blade A711 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

With the ZTE Blade A711, also known as Blade X9, coming to the Philippine market next week, let’s have it compared to one of its competitor, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. We choose the Redmi Note 3 due to its undeniably similar design with the Blade A711 and features like display size and fingerprint scanner.

bladex9-vs-redminote3

ZTE Blade A711Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 401ppi5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, 401ppi
1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipset2.0GHz MediaTek Helio X10 octa-core chipset
Adreno 405PowerVR G6200
2GB RAM2GB / 3GB RAM
16GB internal storage16GB / 32GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD up to 128GB (via SIM 2 slot)
13-megapixel autofocus rear camera w/ LED flash13-megapixel PDAF rear camera w/ dual-tone LED flash
5-megapixel front camera5-megapixel front camera
Dual SIMDual SIM
4G LTE4G LTE
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/nWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.1Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPSGPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
IR blaster
FM RadioFM Radio
Fingerprint scannerFingerprint scanner
3000mAh Li-ion battery4000mAh Li-Po battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop w/ Nubia UI 3.0Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ MIUI 7
155.3 x 77.2 x 8.6 mm150 x 76 x 8.7 mm
160g164g

Both devices sport a large 5.5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. With those numbers, we get a crisp 401ppi density. Also, the two have their respective fingerprint scanners at the back. Their dimension and weight are neck to neck.

They have similar megapixel count of 13 for the rear camera while their front-facing camera is maxed out at 5-megapixel. Software running on both is Android Lollipop, but with their proprietary skin or ROM.

The major difference between the two is their chipset. ZTE used the trusty Snapdragon 615 from Qualcomm while Xiaomi has put in the Helio X10 of MediaTek. Based on previous devices that have these chipsets, we can definitely say that the Helio X10 has the edge here.

In terms of memory, the Blade A711 has 2GB while the Redmi Note 3 also has 2GB of RAM, but you have the option of going for 3GB. You don’t have to worry about file space for the Blade since its 16GB storage is expandable via a microSD of up to 128GB. The Redmi Note 3 storage depends on which model you’ll get, 16GB w/ the 2GB RAM model, or 32GB w/ the 3GB. You don’t get any expansion slot here.

Despite being a bigger phone by a just a few millimeters, the Blade A711 has the smaller battery pack at 3000mAh. The Redmi Note 3 is equipped with a larger 4000mAh battery. Connectivity-wise, both are well equipped, but Xiaomi has the advantage over its IR blaster and dual-band Wi-Fi.

The ZTE Blade A711 is going on sale through Lazada on the 14th for Php7,690 while the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 starts at Php8,990 for the 2GB/16GB option. If you want the Note 3 with more memory and storage, you have to shell out Php10,500.

The post Comparison: ZTE Blade A711 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.