Nice design, decent processor, average camera, good price
Screen could be better, not latest of Android
Chinese manufacturer ZTE keeps on coming with the budget smartphones offering decently high specs for a very modest amount of cash. The latest Blade L2 promises processor power and good looks -- shame it's had to make some odd compromises.
Chassis and screen
Of the two ZTE phones recently available from Virgin Mobile, the Blade L2 appears to be the more desirable. It has a better look than the distinctly dowdy Kis 3, with a relatively slimline case that measures just 9mm thick and features some attractive chrome-look banding on the sides. Stylistically it owes something to Sony's rather blocky Xperia series, but clearly made from cheaper materials.
So far so good, but then the compromises start. The 5-inch screen offers a less than HD resolution of 854x480 pixels, which boils down to 196ppi. That's more or less the same as the Kis 3's 4-inch screen so it actually delivers a lower resolution than the cheaper model. Never a good idea. It's not terrible by any means, but if you're used to HD, it looks just a little fuzzy.
Software and processor
It's running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which comes as a bit of a surprise, since its budget cousin has just launched with 4.4 KitKat. Also, it has version 3.0 Bluetooth -- unusual since even most budget handsets come with 4.0 these days.
However, the dual-core processor is clocked at 1.3GHz, not much ahead of the Kis 3, though it's backed by a full 1GB RAM rather than 512MB. It feels quite nippy in use and if it doesn't have the speed-of-thought pace of the fastest devices, that's really a small criticism at this price. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 17,484, which puts it close to the Moto G, which costs about £60 more. Battery life held up pretty well overall, with the sizeable 2,000mAh power pack delivering a comfortable day and a half of fairly heavy use.
Photography
The 8-megapixel camera is a significant step up from the 3-megapixel model on the Kis 3. Along with the extra megapixels you get autofocus and an LED flash, plus extras like face detection, HDR and panorama modes. Quality-wise the L2's snapper offers more detail and better colour balance, though the sharpness isn't always quite as good as we would have expected. There's also a VGA camera on the front for video calls. There's not much in the way of on-board storage, just 4GB, but you can add up to 32GB via microSD card.
Conclusion
The Blade L2 offers a decent spec for a budget phone, though it's not quite as much of a bargain as the Kis 3. The processor is powerful enough to make it perform like a more expensive phone and the camera passes muster but it's let down by the sub-standard screen and ageing version of Android.
Software: Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor: Dual-core 1.3GHz
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 5in TFT LCD, 854x480 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 8 megapixel with autofocus and LED flash; VGA front-facing camera
Video playback: MP4, H.264, H.263
Audio playback: MP3, WAV, AAC
Radio: Yes
Battery: 2000mAh
Size: 143x72x9mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
