In 2016, just how much phone can you get for $200? A lot, if you’re a Cricket reless customer.
Case in point: ZTE’s Gr X Max 2 boasts a six-inch display, three cameras (one on the front, two on the back), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, two-gigabytes of memory, a sizable 3,400 milliamp-hour battery complete with Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities.
Indeed, this is far from the first $200 Android device we’ve seen, on paper it looks like a promising device. But we all know looks can be deceiving. So how does this behemoth of a device stack up?
Fairly well, actually.
It’s not a workhorse, but it’s no slouch
It wouldn’t be fair to expect a budget friendly device to offer the latest greatest processor a ridiculous six-gigabytes of RAM as we’ve seen in flagship devices the past few months.
It would be fair to expect a phone that delivers acceptable performance battery life; a phone that doesn’t limit basic functionality of what you can or can’t do on it.
And the Gr X Max 2 delivers on that promise. Its benchmarks place it firmly in the middle of the pack in terms of performance, but after using it for over a week I would have thought it ranked higher. Apps open fast, lack any noticeable lag or slowdown when bouncing between multiple apps.
Unfortunately, I could feel a slowdown in performance when playing games. aying the Minecraft cket ition, there is a noticeable lag between initiating actions when the action would take place on the screen. So much so, in fact, it is nearly unplayable.
Battery life is impressive, easily lasting through an entire day, partly through the next morning. th Quick Charge 2.0, you can use the included B Type C cable wall adapter to quickly top-off the battery when needed.
If we are being honest with ourselves, 1080p displays are all we truly need in a smartphone, that’s just what the Gr X Max 2 delivers.
Two mediocre rear cameras
ZTE equipped the Gr X Max 2 with a five-megapixel front camera two rear-facing cameras, of 13-megapixels 2-megapixels, respectively. The dual cameras on the read of the phone are something we’ve seen before, most recently on the G5. Unlike ’s implementation that allowed you to zoom out when framing a shot, ZTE’s use of the second camera sensor is specific to adding depth to photos.
The secondary 2Mcamera on the back is used to add a faux depth-of-field effect.
st as this feature was a gimmick on the HTC One M8 a few years back, so is the second camera on the Gr X Max 2. The depth that ends up being added to photos is far too blurry grainy, degrading the overall image quality. en testing the dual-camera setup in “Bokeh” mode, I was able to adjust the fake aperture from F1.0 up to F8.0. Typically, the lower the number the more bokeh—or blurred effect—background items will have in your photos.
The Bokeh mode just made entire photos blurry, rather than creative a nice depth-of-field effect.
However, regardless of the Android figurine I selected as the focal point, the entire photo would come out blurry. It wasn’t until I switched to higher apertures (F5.6 F8.0) that the figurines started to clear up. Even with the added option of controlling readjusting the focal point after a photo was taken, the end result was often a blurred mess.
st imagine how cute this would be if it was in focus!
During casual use, the camera routinely failed to properly focus on items. The photo above has an overall blurry look, despite being shot in Auto mode. Not all photos turned out as badly focused as the one above, but it was a consistent theme while shooting with the Gr X Max 2.
Color reproduction is often muted, sometimes blow-out, but rarely accurate.
en a photo was captured in focus, the color replication wasn’t the best. Colors were either somewhat muted, or complete blown out.
Design
en I unboxed the Gr X Max 2, for a split second I thought I was sent the wrong phone. It strongly resembles the Motorola Nexus 6, both in size shape. Its curved back fits comfortably into the palm of your h, making it easy to grip the rather unwieldy device.
This phone is just too big to use comfortably with one h. Stretching to press buttons is a challenge.
One hed use, however, isn’t an enjoyable experience. Ultimately, you end up shuffling the phone up or down in your h in order to reach an onscreen button with your thumb.
wer volume are on the same side, which is welcome in a device this big.
On the right side of the phone is the power button volume rocker. The left side is where you’ll find the all-in-one SIM card microSD card slot. acing both buttons on the same side of the device is welcomed, especially on a larger device like this. Instead of having to reach clear across the device to adjust volume, you can easily wake the device adjust volume with little effort.
Software
Running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, ZTE has taken a fairly light h in customizing the overall experience of Gr X Max 2.
There are a few tweaks, though. For example, you can change the default setting for the capacitive buttons where the left button serves as the back button, the right pulls up the app switcher. A feature called Mi-adds a floating set of buttons, designed to make one-hed use easier
ZTE also included a Selfie app for quickly launching the front-facing camera taking a photo, along with several carrier apps from Cricket reless.
One frustrating change involves the gesture to clear notifications on the lock screen. Nearly all Android devices I have ever used allow you to clear notifications by swiping across the notification in either direction. th the Gr X Max 2, you can only swipe to the right. Swiping to the left on a notification brings up prompt asking if you’d like to ban the respective app from showing notifications. Try as I might to change muscle memory, I continue to swipe left on notifications only to see the bright pink prompt.
Should you buy it?
For those who want a phablet on Cricket reless, the Gr X Max 2 is worth considering. It provides acceptable performance, a camera that’s just okay.
th that said, the price needs to be taken into consideration when looking at its shortcomings. For $200, you’re getting a phone that will get the job done. You just need to be accept it may not always be the best job.
