ZTE might not be the first name you search for when buying a new smartphone. They’re most known for their budget smartphones, with the Blade series being the most notable of them. They have some problems now though, especially with the US forbidding them to sell their products there. However, that didn’t stop them to create new devices, with the ZTE Axon M being the most recent example. Now, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro is their latest smartphone, and it’s their first smartphone to feature a notch. Let’s take a closer look at it!

Design

Starting with the design, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro is definitely a good-looking device. The glass back has a nice, premium feel in the hand, and the rounded edges complement that. On the front, you have the 6.21” AMOLED display with 1080 x 2248 resolution. As we said before, it has a notch, and it’s a bit on the bigger side. The display is excellent, with good brightness and color reproduction. Also, it’s HDR-10 capable, enabling the use of HDR content inside some apps like YouTube and Netflix. The side bezels are thin, with the bottom chin also being at a decent size. Rotating to the back, you will find the camera setup in the top corner, with the fingerprint sensor in the middle. The ZTE logo sits right on the bottom of the back panel. The device will be available in two different color options: black or blue.

Features

Moving over to the hardware, we’re clearly seeing flagship grade internals here. Starting with the chipset, the Axon features the Snapdragon 845 processor. The 2.8GHz octa-core processor will handle every task without any problem. The device is also equipped with 6GB of RAM, which should handle multitasking swiftly. Speaking of memory, you also have 128GB of internal storage available. Fortunately, it can be further upgraded using a MicroSD card. Rounding up the internals, the device features a 4000mAh battery. It should easily last you up to two days, depending on your usage.

For the cameras, the device is equipped with a dual camera setup on the back and a single shooter on the front. Starting with the back, you have a primary 12MP sensor and a secondary 20MP ultrawide shooter. The primary sensor has f/1.8 aperture. Pictures are decent, with good dynamic range and color saturation. We’re happy that ZTE went with a secondary ultrawide sensor, as it’s being a rare addition to smartphone nowadays. On the front, you have a single 20MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture. It’s more than enough for all of your selfies or vlogs. Speaking of video, the Axon can record up to 2160p @30fps with the rear camera and up to 1080p @30fps with the front camera.

Finishing with the software, we have a slight surprise this year. The ZTE Axon 9 Pro comes with stock Android Oreo 8.1, as part of Android One. With that, you’re guaranteed up to two years of feature updates and three years of security updates.

Pricing and availability

The ZTE Axon 9 Pro will be available in select European and Asian markets first, with more to follow up. Germany is one of them, and the device there will cost 650 euros.

So, what are your thoughts on the ZTE Axon 9 Pro? Share them in the comments below.