Pros Cons
+Price -No wireless charging
+Sound system -No waterproof
+Screen quality -Camera on certain conditions
+Metal construction
+Wifi Calling & Volte support
+Dual-SIM
The Unboxing
-The Axon 7 is protected by a sturdy, classy looking hard cardboard box. The presentation is simple and clean. So, what extras are included in the box? earphones, soft clear TPU case cover and USB-C-to-micro-USB adapter.
The hardware
-At the time of release, the hardware was considered current and high end. The internals is comprised of a Snapdragon 820 2.15GHz, 4GB of RAM, expandable storage, dual sim capabilities, fingerprint scanner and the industry standard USB-C type connector. The phone is lacking waterproof resistance and wireless charging. The internals of the Axon 7 is encapsulated on a unibody metal case. While 95% of the body is metal, plastic is used to cover the front-facing speaker grills. The plastic parts do not detract from the aesthetics of the device. The screen is made of durable and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 4. After close to a year of usage, the body has held its great looking body to almost perfection thanks to the bundled gel case. Without a case, the phone would have seen a few drops in part because of its smooth surface and hard to grip nature.
The screen
-The screen of the Axon 7 is outstanding. The Quad HD AMOLED screen reproduces saturated colors at a glorious 2560x1440 resolution. Viewing angles stay strong throughout and brightness levels are adequate for any given situation. The only negative aspect of the screen is that there is a minimum warm overtone on the default setting. Thankfully, this can be corrected under the display settings; where options for color temperature are provided.
The software
-ZTE has been very consistent about update the Axon 7 to major Android releases. On February 2017, the software was updated from 6.0.1 to 7.0. A month after the Nougat update, the developers at ZTE released the 7.1.1 update with additional improvements such as Daydream and WIFI calling support. The user interface is layered over by ZTE’s unique take on Android, MiFavor UI. The software experience is generally very smooth and responsive. I have not noticed any major rebooting or force closing event. Performance tends to lag and struggle when the battery discharges to 15 percent. Is it a preventive method to save battery? probably.
The sound experience
-The greatest, loudest and most sophisticated attraction of the Axon 7 is the well equipped sound experience that it offers. The front-facing speakers provide immersive surround sound in a full, crisp and loud manner. The included 32-bit advanced audio DAC delivers superior sound on higher impedance headphones. As an extra for flexibility on the audio department, the device incorporates Dolby Atmos software as an equalizer.
Camera
-The main shooter is a 20-megapixel dual Image Stabilization camera (OIS + EIS). The front-facing camera reproduces 8MP quality photos. On the video department, it is capable of recording up to 4K UHD (30 FPS). On the hardware aspect, the included lens benefits from a Samsung ISO-cell sensor and a sapphire, scratch resistant glass cover. Where the main shooter falls apart is in scenarios involving low light and fast moving objects. To help under low light conditions, a powerful dual LED flash is included. On the color reproduction, saturation is a weak point when taking pictures and video. Sharpness is strong thanks to the 20-megapixel count.
Battery
-The non-removable battery has a capacity of 3250 mAh. The company promises 16 hours talk time and 360 hours of standby. On my day to day usage, I have noticed the battery to be slightly above average with a usual screen time of 4 hours. If that is not enough, Quick Charge 3.0 technology is included for those last minute and quick charging (50% battery recharge in 30 minutes).
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