If you’re tuned into our CES coverage, these new ZTE smartphones might not be your first choice for a handset. But they’re aimed at a critical market for phone makers; consumers who don’t want to spend flagship prices or get pulled into a monthly financing plan with US carriers. First is the $129.99 Grand X3, an Android 5.1.1 Lollipop handset with a 5.5-inch HD (720p) display, 1.3GHz Qualcomm quad-core processor, and 16GB of storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB with microSD cards. It’s got an 8-megapixel camera, with a 2MP sensor on the front. It’s not going to win any performance awards, and at this size, 720p is noticeably less crisp than 1080p. It’s not a terrible looking display though, and the amount of bloatware is minimal. That’s nice to see. This one’s headed for Cricket.
ZTE launches two inexpensive Android phones at CES 2016
But you’re probably not going to buy one
On the T-Mobile end, ZTE is announcing the even cheaper $114.99 Avid Plus. And yeah, the specs drop down along with that price. The 5-inch screen isn't HD; it's 480 x 854, and viewing angles are pretty wretched. This one's got a 1.1GHz Qualcomm chipset and ships with a paltry 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM, though here again you an expand capacity with microSD (up to 32GB). ZTE and T-Mobile will be positioning this device as a dirt cheap way to get Wi-Fi calling and other niceties. Each should be available soon on its respective carriers.
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