Why it matters to you
On Cricket Wireless? There’s a new budget smartphone that offers solid specs and the latest version of Android — all for $150.
ZTE is launching yet another budget smartphone in the U.S., but this time it’s from its international Blade series. The new Blade X Max is a 6-inch smartphone running Android 7.1.1, the latest version from Google, and it will cost $150 exclusively at Cricket Wireless for existing subscribers.
If you’re looking to switch to Cricket Wireless, new customers can grab the phone for a mere $100 — the same promotional price point for other ZTE budget devices, such as the Max XL on Boost Mobile and the ZMax Pro on MetroPCS. The ZMax Pro was later picked up by MetroPCS’ parent carrier, T-Mobile, so the same could happen with AT&T, which owns Cricket Wireless.
The Blade X Max’s specifications are quite similar to the recently announced ZTE Max XL — it runs the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor with 2GB of RAM, and you’ll find the 6-inch display has the same 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution. It comes packed with 32GB of internal storage, more than the 16GB on the Max XL, and there’s a MicroSD card slot in case you need more space. The Blade X Max also has the same 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera setup as the Max XL.
It (thankfully) has a headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port, which is superior to the long-running MicroUSB port. You’ll be able to charge faster with Type C, especially thanks to the phone’s support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology. The 3,400mAh battery capacity certainly is a lot larger than that of more expensive phones, and it means the Blade X Max should last a full day.
There’s a fingerprint reader on the back of the phone — a staple in most smartphones these days, though ZTE goes a step further and allows you to use five fingerprints to access different apps.
The Blade X Max is ZTE’s second Blade smartphone available in the U.S., after the higher-priced Blade V8 Pro. It goes on sale on May 12 on Cricket Wireless for $150, but if you’re a thinking about switching to the carrier, you can get it for a cool $100.