ZTE Blade Z Max is yet another Android phone touting a dual-lens camera in 2017, but this one happens to be well under the $200 mark.
It costs just $130, making it the most affordable smartphone with two cameras on the back. It can shoot photos with blur-rich bokeh or monochrome with its combination 16MP and 2MP rear cameras. It also has a 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
The ZTE Blade Z Max is also widening its screen real estate and its battery life. It has a 6-inch Full HD display and a large 4,080mAh battery. Its fingerprint sensor, once a staple of flagship phones, is also a part of this budget handset. It can act as a shortcut button with multiple presses or gestures.
Where does it hold back for this kind of money? It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Luckily, the last point is fixable if you're like more space: up to 128GB of storage can be added via the microSD card slot.
Taking on the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime
The ZTE Blade Z Max isn't out to impress you if you're looking to buy the iPhone 8 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. This... is not that.
Instead, ZTE is taking on the Galaxy J7 Prime and ticking off the boxes on where it's better than Samsung's top budget phone.
Its 6-inch screen is larger than Samsung's 5.5-inch display, the 4,080mAh battery life outlasts the J7's 3,300mAh capacity, and the 16MP+2MP cameras outnumber Samsung's lonely 8MP rear camera.
The Blade Z Max also has a fingerprint sensor, double the internal storage and the latest version of Android Nougat. It's cheaper, too. Samsung charges $209 for its device.
Of course, to take advantage of the ZTE Blade Z Max, you're going to need to be on MetroPCS. The affordable US carrier pairs nicely with this best cheap phone in the US contender.
A little bit more: ZTE's top performer is the Axon 7
