ZTE’s Zmax Pro was one of the most impressive budget smartphones of 2016. We were blown away by its price point, which managed to come under competitors like Samsung’s Galaxy J7 and Lenovo’s Moto G4 Plus without compromise. And in that regard, its successor appears to be no different.
On Tuesday, ZTE took the wraps of the Max XL, a budget smartphone bound for Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. It, like last year’s Zmax Pro, doesn’t pack the latest or fastest silicon, but that’s besides the point — the $ 130 Max XL is all about affordability.
“The ZTE Max XL is intended to show just how great an affordable premium device can be in 2017,” Lixin Cheng, chairman and CEO of ZTE USA, said in a statement. “Consumers can get an excellent smartphone for under $ 130, and the Max XL proves it.”
Indeed, it doesn’t disappoint. The Max XL packs a 6-inch IPS (1920 x 1080 pixels) display shielded with shatter-resistant Gorilla Glass, and a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor (a slight step down from the ZMax Pro, which had a 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 617). There’s 2GB of RAM inside, plus a whopping 128GB of storage (expandable via MicroSD slot) and a 3,990mAh battery that lasts up to 26.6 hours on a charge.
The Max XL doesn’t skimp in other areas. There’s a 13MP and 5MP rear and front camera, respectively, and an FM radio. Rounding out the internals are a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.0, a fingerprint sensor, and GPS. And it ships running Android 7.0 Nougat, the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system.
The Max XL launches on Boost Mobile’s 2GB plan ($ 30 with auto-renew, $ 35 without), which includes unlimited talk and text and 1GB additional data for $ 5 a month (or 2GB for $ 10 a month). It’s also available on Boost Mobile’s Unlimited Gigs plan, which comes with unlimited talk, text, and data starting at $ 50 a month ($ 30 a month for a second line, up to five total).
ZTE said it’s the first Boost Mobile phone to support Sprint’s HPUE (High Performance User Equipment) technology and LTE+, which translates to faster network speeds and increased coverage. And it supports international roaming — with Boost Mobile’s $ 5 Todo Mexico Plus add-on, you get unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, plus unlimited international texting.
“We continue to push the boundaries and give consumers more of what they want — bigger battery, bigger screen, and the best connection possible — all at an affordable price,” said Cheng.
From what we’ve seen of the Max XL so far, it’s tough to argue.
