Skip to main content

ZTE’s Blade S7 is made of glass and metal, has a fingerprint scanner, and looks like an iPhone

ZTE knows how to design a phone, having treated us to the Axon range and some very sleek Nubia models over the past months, but for the new Blade S7 it has taken some inspiration from the iPhone 5 and 5S to create a good-looking, but very familiar device. The Blade S7 is the sequel to the Blade S6, a successful and very capable mid-range phone, so how does the S7 improve on it?

The screen is still 5-inches in size, but inside a body that measures just 67mm across, giving a screen-to-body ration of just over 72-percent. For comparison, the body is under 10mm wider than the iPhone 5S, and that has a 4-inch screen. ZTE has increased the resolution to 1080p for the Blade S7, and made the body from aluminum alloy, with 2.5D Gorilla Glass on the front and rear. That’s a major step ahead of the creaky plastic body on the Blade S6.

Recommended Videos

New feature additions don’t stop there. The Blade S7 has a fingerprint scanner in the home button, which can unlock the phone, and be used to authenticate access to apps and images store on the device. It’s also possible to configure the sensor to link different apps to different fingerprints, meaning you could use your index finger to unlock and quickly launch the email app, for example.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor with 3GB of RAM powers the phone, and there’s 32GB of internal storage. Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is installed with ZTE’s MiFavor user interface over the top. There are two cameras onboard, and both have 13 megapixels. The front cam has its own flash and phase detection autofocus system, plus a panorama mode for those super wide selfies. The rear camera has laser autofocus, and a variety of image modes. Finally, ZTE has updated its gesture control system seen on the S6.

The Blade S7 may be reminiscent of the iPhone 5S, but it also shares a similar style to the new OnePlus X. ZTE’s not giving the Blade S7 such a wide release as the OnePlus phone yet, and it’s only headed to Thailand and other Asian-Pacific markets so far, but we’re hopeful this will change. It released the Blade S6 in the UK and other parts of Europe. The price hasn’t been confirmed, but it’ll be sold in four colors: lemon green, diamond white, and the Apple-taunting rose gold and space grey.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Hey look, the iPhone’s Dynamic Island has come to … Android?!?
dynamic island android app dynamicspot

Apple caused a great deal of excitement when it unveiled the Dynamic Island on the new iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max handsets earlier this month (although it turns out it's not for everyone).

The feature brings to life the otherwise boring pill-shaped cutout at the top of the display by changing its appearance according to the information or controls that it's showing.

Read more
Samsung’s self-repair program launches for Galaxy S21, S20, and Tab S7 Plus
Vision Booster on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, with the S21 Ultra.

Earlier this year, Samsung announced that it would allow Galaxy device owners the option to repair their gadgets themselves. A few months later, the company's self-repair program has finally gone live. Launching for the Galaxy S21 and S20 lines of smartphones, as well as the Tab S7 Plus, device owners won't need to discard their smartphones and tablets if they're malfunctioning. Instead, they can purchase repair parts and tools for quick, do-it-yourself fixes.

While device repair might sound like a daunting endeavor, Samsung is providing full access to online repair guides that give step-by-step instructions on how to fix specific issues and replace crucial elements. Additionally, replacement parts and repair tools will be available through a handful of retailers, including iFixit, Samsung 837, and Samsung retail stores.

Read more
Hurray! Android phones don’t look like the iPhone anymore
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Flip 3 together, showing their partially folded displays.

No matter how many smartphones are critiqued for being boring and dull, one thing remains true -- smartphones released over the past year look far more distinct than ever before. Whether it be crazy colors, crazy cameras, or just crazy materials, high-end Android phones have never looked more different. It's a far cry from the day Samsung wanted to be Apple, or when HTC launched a smartphone that was a dead ringer for the then-new iPhone, and it exposes the critique that smartphones all look the same as a fallacy.
More expressive hardware
In 2022, it's different. Walk into any phone store and pick up a flagship Android phone, and you'll find something different. From the choice of materials to colors, there's a lot of variety that you wouldn't find before. The time Android phone makers used to slavishly follow the iPhone has gone. A lot of companies are striking out on their own and leaning unapologetically into their own novel designs.

1.
Realme GT 2 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro, and Oppo Find X5 Pro
2.
Realme GT Neo 2
4.
Vivo X80 Pro
5.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
6.
Google Pixel 6 Pro and Huawei P50 Pro
7.
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate

Read more