ZTEAxon 7 Unlocked Smartphone,64GB Ion Gold (US Warranty)

ZTE Axon 7, possibly the best purchase I have made in my 28 years of being alive. Yes I mean that.So let me start by saying I go through a lot of phones. Some people like new sneakers, or new cars, I like new phones. As someone who typically gets the newest iPhone, Galaxy S and Galaxy Note device each year in addition to a slew of random unlocked phones etc. I think that I have more than some ability to review this phone. That is not to say it’s perfect. To give you an idea of what I was expecting. First know that I bought this phone I had very low expectations. Every time I have heard the name ZTE it was for a cheap android phone with horrible specs and usually made for a prepaid company etc. ZTE some random Chinese handset maker who I really never heard anything great or outstanding about. Though you see, after returning the Note 7 due to the possibility of explosion etc., I waited a bit before buying another android phone.However I happened to be clicking around on Amazon, actually looking to do some Christmas shopping, when I found this device. I read the reviews here, I also read the reviews on other sites. I watched a dozen YouTube videos etc. However for every video saying this was a great phone I found others saying otherwise. For the price I said “what’s the worse that can happen”. I ordered the phone via prime. It came promptly. I opened the box and my first thought was wow, a company that actually gives you things with their products. In the box in addition to the standard manuals and charger, was a decent pair of headphones, a screen protector and a case. I mean what other company does that?A phone that comes with extras, so what. Well let’s talk about performance. I setup the phone, installed every app known to man etc. Later on that day I fire up Netflix. I put a movie on as I am lying in bed holding my phone and cannot believe just how loud the speakers on this device are. Not just loud, incredibly crisp. Every word, every sound effect comes through in what I can only imagine is its original effect. I installed a bevy of graphically intense games. Each of which ran without any lag, any stutter or any hiccups. Not a single issue. So great here I am with a phone that seems amazing. I thought to myself “I bet the battery life will be horrible”…but…it’s not! It’s almost hard to believe, but it lasts for what seems like forever.The camera is not going to win any awards. However it’s not horrible. In fact if you know how to use manual mode setting you can get shots that are great instead of just ok. Let’s talk about that screen. Vivid, bright, crisp, whites are white and the blacks are inky dark and beautiful. As I finish up this summary I am holding the phone in my hand and still think this might have been the best purchase I have ever made for the price I paid. You don’t have to take it from me, but I implore you to give the ZTE Axon 7 a chance.

OK, this phone rocks. There's been some concern that the custom MiFavor 4.0 (MUI) interface slows down Android. That's nonsense. This phone is quite fast and multitasks very well. It's been reviewed many times, so I'll just recap my observations:1. The display is gorgeous. 2560 x 1440 AMOLED - bright, crisp.2. The camera is very fast. My old Nexus 5x had an extremely slow camera (starting up and processing pics). There's very little lag in this one.3. Sound - I haven't cranked the volume yet, but two FRONT-facing speakers just make so much sense.4. Charging - the included USB-C fast charger really does work very well.5. Battery - HOLY $&^%$!!! ... I unplugged the phone at 8:00am this morning. It's now 10:30pm, 14 1/2 hours later. The battery is at 64%. I am not a heavy duty gamer, but I do multitask with social media and I do use some network apps (Office 365 management, Meraki management, Salesforce management, etc.). The battery is really quite impressive.6. Build Quality and Presentation - This is a sold phone. It is certainly not as light as an iPhone or other Android phones. That's possibly due to the larger battery or the all-metal build. I'm not a fan of featherweight phones, so this is good for me. Presentation - more companies (i.e. Anker) are presenting their products the way Apple does. The phone is packaged pristinely. Every accessory that you wish a phone came with was included in the box - all power stuff, headphones, sim ejector, even a case, albeit cheap.Any downsides ? Of course.1. The phone is very slick. You WILL need some sort of case or you WILL drop it.2. The custom UI is not bad, but may take some getting used to. For instance, creating folders on each screen is a bit tedious, but doable.3. The power button is *below* the volume buttons on the right side of the phone. In the beginning you will adjust the volume when trying to just turn the display on. Not the best design, but not a showstopper.4. This one is weird and there's probably a fix - I just haven't found it yet. My Nexus 5x allowed me to fit 5 icons across its 5" screen. The ZTE allows only 4 larger icons across a 5.5" screen - weird. Maybe a function of the UI.5. The current Android version is 6.01 ZTE says Nougat (7.0 or 7.1) is "coming soon". We'll see. I have no complaints about the current Android version on this phone, though.Overall, this is a bargain. I got mine for $349. I see it's back up to $399, but I still think it's worth every penny.Note: I seriously considered the OnePlus 3T, which exceeds the specs of this phone. It's slightly more expensive, but it seems to always be out of stock. Like I said, the ZTE gets very good reviews overall.