ZTE makes its Verizon debut with the ultra-budget Blade Vantage smartphone

The super-affordable ZTE Blade Advantage is now available from Verizon

By Christian de Looper Updated October 5, 2017

ZTE is making its big push into the United States, and to do that, it’s finally working with Verizon, the largest mobile carrier in the country. The phone manufacturer’s first device on Verizon — the ZTE Blade Vantage — is now available online and in stores.

The phone is aimed at being an excellent ultra-budget option, and it comes in at only $50. Sure, for that price you won’t get a flagship device, but it’s actually not a bad option for those looking for a super-cheap phone. For that $50, you’ll get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. That storage can be expanded upon with the MicroSD card slot, which is helpful for those that want a little more space.

Even the cameras on the device are better than you would expect for the price. The rear-facing camera sits in at 8-megapixels, with the front-facing camera coming in at 2 megapixels. Powering the whole device is a 2,500mAh battery, which may not be as big as some other phones, but considering the display sits in at only 854 x 480 pixels, it should be able to get you through the day.

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“The ZTE Blade Vantage is ZTE’s first smartphone to be on Verizon’s network, signifying an expanded partnership that we are excited to see grow over the coming months and years,” ZTE CEO Lixin Cheng said in a press release. “Consumers continue to be attracted to our affordable premium smartphone lineup, and we’re excited that Verizon customers can now purchase a ZTE device with the Blade Vantage.”

The super-budget phone market really seems to be heating up. Gone are the days when not paying a premium meant having to deal with a nonperforming device. These days, phones like the Blade Vantage mean that not only can you get a smartphone for $50, but you can get one that’s more than capable of handling most day-to-day tasks like basic web-browsing, social media, and so on. Sure, as mentioned, it won’t be able to do things like handle virtual reality or serious multitasking — but as is always the case with these things, that tech will eventually trickle down to low-cost phones like this.

Update: Added information to reflect that the ZTE Blade Advantage is now available.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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