Skip to main content

ZTE Blade V8 Pro: Our first take

ZTE's $240 Blade V8 Pro performs the same camera tricks as the iPhone 7 Plus for so much less

Jealous of the iPhone 7 Plus and its cool dual-lens camera, but don’t have the inclination to spend the many hundreds of dollars needed to own one? ZTE may have the solution with the Blade V8 Pro, an Android phone with a similar dual-lens camera, which costs just $230. ZTE has been impressing us recently with the Axon 7 and Axon 7 Mini, but how will it do with the Blade V8 Pro? It’s the first time a Blade series phone has been announced for the U.S., with the series previously only being sold internationally.

The Blade V8 Pro is a relatively cheap way to get in on the dual-cam craze.

Recommended Videos

If you’ve handled the Axon 7, you may be expecting the Blade V8 Pro to have a sleek metal body. It doesn’t. This is a mid-range phone with a plastic back cover, matched to a metal chassis, but is surprisingly heavy at 185 grams. At 9mm thick, it’s comfortable and chunky to hold, and the 5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080 pixel screen is attractive. There’s a physical home button under the screen that also holds a fingerprint sensor, a feature we don’t always see on phones at this price.

The dual-lens camera consists of two 13-megapixel lenses. The two work together to create the bokeh, blurred background effect, similar to that on the iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei’s Mate 9 and P9, and several other phones. The Blade V8 Pro’s software works in a very similar way to Huawei’s system. Tap a special button to activate the dual-lens effect, snap your photo, then change the focal point afterward in the gallery. It’s quick and easy.

We didn’t spend enough time with the phone to really judge the results, but we really liked the various fun filters ZTE has included. A live “sketch” mode turned the view into a wild, hand-drawn world, for example. Powering the phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, a new processor that trumps the Moto G4 Plus, a natural competitor of the Blade V8 Pro, that has also been used in the much more expensive Huawei Nova. It’s accompanied by 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage space.

High-end audio

Audio has become a strong ZTE trademark feature, and the Axon phones both sound superb. The Blade V8 Pro continues the tradition, and although the audio chip isn’t quite at the Axon level, it promises great performance. Dolby audio tweaks are also onboard. It’s Android 6.0 installed, and like other U.S. released ZTE phones, it’s close to standard, with only a small amount of user interface tweaking on ZTE’s part. This is good news, but we’d have preferred to have Android 7.0 installed right from the start. Returning to the good news, the 3,140mAh battery has quick charge technology, something the new Honor 6X doesn’t have, and there’s a MicroSD card slot.

It’s very difficult to fault a phone that packs in one of the current must-have features — the dual camera — and costs $230. We like the simple design and 2.5D curved glass and the use of an up-to-date Snapdragon processor, but aren’t pleased to hear there aren’t any plans to offer it through a carrier at the moment. If you want a Blade V8 Pro, you’ll have to buy it direct through ZTE. It’s not a massive deal, but it may put some people off.

Provided that’s not you (and it shouldn’t be), the Blade V8 Pro is a relatively cheap way to get in on the dual-cam craze. ZTE impressed us in 2016, and with the Blade V8 Pro, it’s off to a solid start in 2017.

Highs

  • Low price
  • Two camera lenses
  • Fun photo modes
  • Fingerprint sensor

Lows

  • Not sold through a carrier
  • Not the latest Android version
Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Hidden US carriers perks you might not have known about
T-Mobile on iPhone.

In the competitive landscape of US mobile carriers, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and others constantly vie for your attention with flashy deals on the latest smartphones and promises of expansive coverage. However, beyond the headline offerings lie a treasure trove of often-overlooked perks and benefits that can significantly enhance your mobile experience and even save you money. These perks are constantly changing; visiting carrier websites for the most current information on available perks is wise.

Let's delve into some of these hidden gems (at the time of this writing) you might not have known about from the big three and a few others.

Read more
I tested the Huawei Watch 5, here’s why every watch needs Health Glance
60-second health check in progress on the Huawei Watch 5

Huawei has just unveiled the new Huawei Watch 5 at an event in Berlin alongside a plethora of smartwatches and other audio products designed to bring access to a wide variety of health features to a range of users. 

The new Huawei Watch 5 has several impressive features, including the next generation of Health Glance, which checks nine health metrics in just one minute. The Huawei Watch 5 isn’t the first Huawei watch to have this feature, but an upgraded X-Tap sensor and a few additional metrics make it the most comprehensive implementation of this feature yet. 

Read more
Apple Music just made the move from Spotify easier than ever
An iPhone 15 Pro Max on a wooden table displaying streaming apps Amazon Music, Qobuz, Apple Music, Tidal, Sonos, and Spotify.

Apple is beginning to roll out a new tool that makes it easier to shift from Spotify to Apple Music.

In fact this new addition allows people to shift from any streaming service over to Apple Music with more ease.

Read more