ZTE Blade 3 review

Mid-range features at an entry level price

ZTE Blade 3
Is this the bargain of the year?

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Contacts

As you'd expect from any Android device these days the Blade 3 does a pretty good job of managing your contacts, with options to pull in friends from Google, Facebook and email accounts.

ZTE Blade 3 review

The contacts app is the stock Ice Cream Sandwich offering, providing a simple system to store all your numbers and associated details.

Although we were able to link our Facebook account to the Blade 3 the contacts app seemingly refused to pull through any of our buddies, even after numerous attempts to sync with the social network.

This meant we were unable to match up our Google contacts with their associated Facebook profiles and thus this left our contact list looking duller than dishwater thanks to the lack of profile pictures on display.

At least adding a contact was easy enough with a button in the bottom right of the screen taking you to a form where you can added a veritable feast of information on your new friend.

Calling

ZTE Blade 3 review

The phone app on the ZTE Blade 3, like contacts, is standard Android fare with a keyboard sporting blue accents and smart dialling features greeting you as you load it up.

There are tabs along the top of the screen to take your to your call history and favourite contacts.

In terms of signal the Blade 3 always managed to find some, although there were times where we'd expect a 3G connection and the handset would only be offering EDGE or worse.

Call quality was acceptable for a phone costing £70, so don't expect to be blown away with crystal clear acoustics, but at least the Blade 3 is a perfectly serviceable telecommunication device.

The ZTE Blade 3 was able to keep hold of signal well and we didn't experience any dropped calls.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.