ZTE Axon 9 Pro hands-on review

30 August 2018
ZTE has been branching out its mobile business quite a bit lately. Experimenting with various concepts, like the nubia Red Magic, just to see what sticks. Still one family has been notably missing form the Chinese manufacturer's lineup for quite some time.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • fm}
  • 17 Sep 2019

Paul, 09 Jul 2019I know this is old news . But I still haven't found a repl... moreIwant sim card mobil ZTE cricket model Z851

    • P
    • Paul
    • U3C
    • 09 Jul 2019

    I know this is old news .
    But I still haven't found a replacement for my Axon 7, I struggling to find something worth the upgrade.
    Pretty easy formula to get right.
    OLED screen resolution 1920x1080 or better.
    As many forward descent facing speakers as you can fit backed by DAC.
    big ass battery.
    descent HDR+ camera over 12mp.
    Honestly who care if the case is 6mm or or 8mm if it means my phone will last 2-4hrs extra during the day and your going to need a hard case anyway if you want your phone to last more than 5min.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • Q6A
      • 07 Nov 2018

      I brought this phone last Monday then after charge it 2hrs 3mins the phone suddenly explode

        • B
        • Bartosz
        • njW
        • 27 Sep 2018

        Anonymous, 31 Aug 2018It is the future. We already have a headphone port (USB c).... more1. Notches are matter of taste, it is subjective. It is indeed practical yet looks out of place compared to what we were used to previously. Amoled screen + hiding notch with software might be the best way to utilize new space on screen - purely for notification bar. My point being, even in current state there is a way to make it less intrusive and noticable, yet a lot of manufacturers stick with LCD screens. I agree with you on that one.
        2. USB Type C is not a headphone port. It is universal digital connector, but it cannot serve as headphone port by itself. You need DAC to convert digital signal to analogue signal compatible with 95% of headphones on market... and frakly, 100% of any high class headphone.

        Current solution is really flawed - most of dongles provided with phones struggle with performance compared to built in solutions in phones such as ZTE Axon 7 or LG V series. The dongles are easier to break and with very few exceptions they are compatible with single device - the phone they are dedicated to. It means that your HTC U11 dongle will not work on USB Type C laptop or ZTE Axon 9. Not only it limits the uses but also forces you to get more dongles just to get the same experience you would have with usual headphone jack.

        Unfortunately, in a world like this headphone jack is still really needed luxury.

          • A
          • Axon 7 user
          • nmM
          • 02 Sep 2018

          Looks promising but looks bad and no DAC so not gonna buy it.
          Jut give use more redefined more improved Axon 7...metal and all.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • y$h
            • 01 Sep 2018

            I love notches..
            Why cant manufacturer make a notched phone without chin like iPX??? Chin is ugly, notch is not.

              Looking back at smartphones released a few months ago and I just realized how many smartphones have a notch + top left vertical camera setup...

                • J
                • Jeff.L
                • XMc
                • 31 Aug 2018

                Sound great and hope the camera also can perform as well as possible.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 6jq
                  • 31 Aug 2018

                  Anonymous, 30 Aug 2018ZTE has "officially" joined Apple's "COURAGE" cult of dropp... moreIt is the future. We already have a headphone port (USB c). No need to have both.

                  The notch can be hidden by using a black background and removes the upper bezel which is useless.

                  Basically the future is everything that normies (like you) say it is not and it is not everything that they say that it is (no killer AI, no jetpacks, no interstellar travel, no aliens).

                  It's the best indicator I have used for years. Take a majority opinion on tech and you know it is wrong. For example notches are wonderful in part because they are as hated by the people who are always wrong. Bitcoin is probably a revolution because everyone's hates on it on tech forums, smartwatches are sh** because they saw so much love when initially launched. So on and so forth. It's called the contrarian view: tech geeks are freaking m*r*ns...

                    Fantastic specs, hardware is alright. This should be a great phone

                      Glad to see Axon is back,it does look cool,kinda...
                      But,I saw recently Axon 7 on Aliexpress for 263$(227euro) incl.shipping(Ok,plus some tax.) so cannot believe the price ZTE is asking for this..Ok,it is mighty,with great features,but no word about those excellent dual DAC Assahi Kassei chips from Axon 7.With,say,50% discount this will sell like hotcakes...I reckon...

                        • c
                        • ciquta
                        • BR7
                        • 31 Aug 2018

                        wow, finally a device with AOSP!!
                        I was sold until I read it has glass on the back... why on the earth you put the most fragile material on the back???

                          Another useless notch....

                            • A
                            • Anonymous
                            • B45
                            • 30 Aug 2018

                            The specs sheet and vanilla Android are SO...FREAKIN'...GOOD....but curse the US for ruining the chances of us getting to this phone. Ugh...Razer 2 it is then...

                              An instant hit, sorry failure, considering OnePlus 6, Xiaomi Mi8 and F1.

                                • B
                                • Bartosz
                                • 0w{
                                • 30 Aug 2018

                                I am disappointed, perhaps because I expected something way different. Back in a day, ZTE Axon 7 had a couple of features that made it stand out. Metal bulky design, stereo front facing speakers, Quad audio dac and proper flagship chipset at really good price tag. Too bad it is all gone now and the phone had become only yet another SD845 device among the crowd. What makes it stand out now? Built in video interpolation algorithms? Pure android experience? I do not think it is enough to have people switch from the likes of Xiaomi or OnePlus to this device.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 8Kf
                                  • 30 Aug 2018

                                  HDR10 screen
                                  Stereo with Dolby Atmos
                                  Dual Pixel + OIS
                                  QC 4.0
                                  4000mAh
                                  IP68

                                  Axon 9 humiliates OP6 and 6T

                                    • K
                                    • KMB877
                                    • xL%
                                    • 30 Aug 2018

                                    alcalde, 30 Aug 20186" AMOLED, stereo speakers, Snapdragon 845, 4000mAh batter... moreASUS Rog unfortunately misses band 25, 26, 66 and 71.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • PGq
                                      • 30 Aug 2018

                                      ZTE has "officially" joined Apple's "COURAGE" cult of dropping the 3.5mm jack and adding a fugly notch.

                                        • A
                                        • Andy
                                        • LaT
                                        • 30 Aug 2018

                                        Whackcar, 30 Aug 2018I love that it has water-proofing (or water-resistance to b... moreMy thoughts exactly. But giving the phone such a high price tag isn't the right way to regain lost ground, HTC is proof of that. The way to do it is with an ultra competitive phone, like the Honor Play or Xiaomi Poco, both of which cost half of the Axon 9