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SpecEagle review · ZTE

ZTE Axon (1st gen) review: 2015 dual-cam + Hi-Fi DAC US push.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jul 2015·$450
Overall
74/100
Class rank
#14 of 100
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
At the right price
The verdict, up front

ZTE Axon (1st gen).

ZTE's 2015 first Axon launched the line with dual ESS Sabre Hi-Fi DAC + dual cam + QHD at $450.

01Display

86/100

At 86/100 this is one of the strongest display showings among flagship phones of 2015 — 12 points above the cohort average.

TypeIPS
Size5.5"
Resolution1440 x 2560 QHD

02Performance

76/100

At 76/100 this is one of the strongest performance showings among flagship phones of 2015 — 12 points above the cohort average.

ChipsetSnapdragon 810
CPU2 GHz octa-A57+A53
RAM4 GB

03Camera

78/100

At 78/100 this is one of the strongest camera showings among flagship phones of 2015 — 11 points above the cohort average.

Main13 MP + 2 MP depth
Front8 MP

04Battery

74/100

At 74/100 this is one of the strongest battery showings among flagship phones of 2015 — 8 points above the cohort average.

Capacity3,000 mAh

05Software

74/100

74/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2015.

What works
  • Dual ESS Sabre Hi-Fi DAC.
  • Dual 13+2 MP cam with depth.
  • QHD display.
  • Leather grip back.
What doesn't
  • Snapdragon 810 throttle.
  • 3,000 mAh average.
  • 174 g.
  • ZTE bloatware US.
Cross-shop it against
Pixel (1st gen, 2016)
$649 · score 86/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 100-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .