New smartphone from ZTE is a direct competitor to the Huawei Ascend G300. The model is primarily considered as an alternative to the popular budget smartphone from Huawei. In velcom stores, where both devices are sold, their prices are almost the same: 1,899,000 rubles for the V880E and 1,999,000 for the Ascend G300 (in installments, 390-440 thousand more expensive). Each device has its own advantages and disadvantages, which we will try to understand.
Appearance
This is what some engineering sample could look like, designed to show the advantages of a software or hardware platform, but not the design delights of the model. This is not a reproach, but in the case of a budget device, it’s even a plus. The ZTE V880E smartphone does not look like a glossy “remnant” and attracts attention with its strict simplicity of form. The appearance of the device, of course, will not cause sighs of admiration, but the model clearly looks more expensive than it actually is.
The body of the V880E is completely plastic. The black matte cover has a practical rubberized coating, giving the device additional stability on a smooth surface. Once again, I was pleased with the assembly of an inexpensive Chinese phone: the panel fits very tightly in the grooves, does not wobble or creak. Over the past year and a half, Asian manufacturers have seriously improved the build quality of mobile devices.
The perimeter bezel, which smoothly flows into the lower part of the smartphone, is also plastic, although at first it seems as if it is made of metal. In fact, it is plastic painted to look like metal. After two weeks of using the device, there were no complaints about the quality of the paint. Although, most likely, the strip will peel off over time, especially if you carry the phone with small hard objects like a bunch of keys.
When equipping the V880E with controls, ZTE followed the same minimalist concept that follows the entire body. There are only two keys: the on/off button on the top end and the volume rocker on the right.
At the top there is also a 3.5 mm audio jack and a microphone for noise reduction, at the left side there is a microUSB connector for connecting a data cable, and at the bottom there is the main conversation microphone. Everything is very modest on the rear panel: a pair of narrow speaker holes and a square with a camera and LED flash - that’s all, not counting the logos of the operator and the manufacturing company.
There were no surprises under the hood. As in the case of the recently reviewed one, with a little skill you can insert a SIM card without removing the battery. To perform the reverse procedure, you will have to remove the battery, since the card rests against it. Memory cards can be changed in batches without rebooting the smartphone: the microSD slot is located so that the battery does not interfere with it.
At the top of the front panel you can find a traditional set of speaker grilles, a camera for video calls (it doesn’t have one), as well as light and proximity sensors. Under the display there are as many as four touch buttons (“Menu”, “Home”, “Back” and “Search”) - an unusual layout for most modern smartphones.
Despite the low-cost device, there are no complaints about the materials used and the design of the V880E. A solid device without excessive pretentiousness or “plasticity”. A weight of 140 g and a thickness of just under 11 mm emphasize the “seriousness” of the smartphone. Ascend G300, by the way, has similar parameters, but the model from Huawei has a more streamlined and rounded shape. When comparing the appearance of the two devices, much will depend on the taste and individual preferences of the users.
Display
The 4″ TFT screen installed in the smartphone in question evokes double sensations. First you pay attention to the high brightness of the image. In this parameter, the V880E is superior to the Ascend G300. However, on the side of the latter is the IPS matrix and, as a result, high viewing angles. The ZTE model cannot boast of maximum angles: the colors change even with a slight vertical tilt of the device.
The screen resolution of the two smartphones is the same and is 800x480 pixels. This is enough to not pay attention to individual pixels.
The bright and rich picture shown by the V880E display is very attractive at first. However, just a few seconds of working with the device is enough to give preference to the screen of the Huawei Ascend G300 - although it is not so bright, it pleases with good color rendition, no matter what angle you look at it from.
Interface
The V880E's software platform is Android 2.3. The possibility of upgrading to Ice Cream Sandwich isn't entirely remote. In any case, the Chinese manufacturer has already released firmware with Android 4.0 for the version of the smartphone with two SIM slots. True, in our case the situation is complicated by the fact that the device is camera-based.
ZTE has installed its own shell on the V880E. You can unlock your device using the now fashionable virtual ring. True, you don’t need to pull it anywhere; you just need to hold your finger on it for a second or two. You won't be able to launch applications from the lock screen, so in this sense, a smartphone from Huawei is more practical.
The Chinese developer has installed several proprietary widgets. In addition to the calendar, clock, and player, there are several not entirely standard applications. For example, a widget with Internet bookmarks will allow you to quickly jump to one of several frequently used sites. There is also a Task Manager widget on one of the screens. It shows all active in at the moment tasks and allows you to complete them individually or all together.
Diversify appearance interface can be created not only using wallpaper, but also through UI animation. For example, as always, various variations of “carousel” scrolling look impressive. True, all the beauty requires sacrifice in the form of hardware resources of the V880E: the already not very fast interface begins to slow down even more.
There are few pre-installed third-party applications. There is, for example, the X-Office office suite, a simple file manager and a TouchPal keyboard. The “velcom recommends” program, in fact, only offers links to some applications that still need to be downloaded from Google Play.
Subjectively, the interface in Huawei smartphones looks a little nicer and more functional (remember the same unlock screen with the ability to quickly launch favorite programs). However, the difference is insignificant; you can still install a more interesting third-party shell.
Camera
With the camera, the ZTE V880E is almost as bad as the one we recently reviewed. Despite the stated 5 megapixels, the quality of the photos is weak on all fours. No color rendition with a strong shift to red, low detail, omnipresent noise, and even a terrible flash, which is only suitable for exposing pictures. The specifications of the photo module indicate the presence of autofocus, but during testing it rarely appeared.
The camera installed in it is head and shoulders above what the ZTE V880E received. Perhaps we received an unsuccessful specimen for testing, but, be that as it may, it is not at all suitable for photography.
2 years ago 0
Nice smartphone. Sensitive sensor. Minimum number of buttons on the sides. Nothing was ever turned on or off against my wishes. There is an accelerometer, MULTI-TOUCH and so on on the list.
2 years ago 0
Good screen, average camera, large display
2 years ago 0
The phone really works out its money 100%. who needs exactly 2 simulators, it has no competitors, unless it’s a highscreen yummy duo, but IMHO, it’s too big (the screen is 4.3, fits worse in the hands) and the processor is a little weaker, 1000 rubles more expensive. In chalk, what do we have for less than 8 thousand rubles? 1.good 4" screen, not Super AMOLED with gorilla glass of course, but for the unpretentious user it is good. Plus multi-touch. 2.Excellent processor with support for Flash on AWP7, it is more than enough for everyday tasks. 3.Good quality of materials and workmanship . Moreover, it all looks good even now. 4. Holds the charge well for 2 SIM cards and Android devices in general 5. Possibility of an update in the form of Hadron 4.1 very soon!!!))
2 years ago 0
Good screen + good build quality + convenient location of buttons and connectors + good battery charge, if you don’t play, but use the Internet, maps, calls, SMS, it lasts for 5-6 days (well, of course, if you constantly play heavy 3D games, then the battery starts to sit down quite quickly)
2 years ago 0
Large screen Good screen resolution Good battery High-quality assembly Convenient physical buttons Touch buttons are not pressed accidentally No need to overpay and no need to sacrifice quality, the price matches.
2 years ago 0
Price Durability Convenience Charges quickly Sound quality Good wi-fi
2 years ago 0
Easy to use, good capacitive screen, charges quickly.
2 years ago 0
5MP camera, with autofocus and flash, real full-fledged navigation, wi-fi 2 SIM cards, capacious battery - it lasts me for 5-6 days easily. I don’t know what to do with the phone so that it dies in a day. probably not to let go of your hands for a second?
2 years ago 0
Android! large screen 2 SIM cards strict design official production nimble similar to Htc)))) assembly very high quality
2 years ago 0
Android 4.04, large screen, body flies, 1 GHz, there were no glitches, Wi-Fi is found, all the above-mentioned shortcomings were not found
2 years ago 0
The vibration is weak, but that's not a problem. Many smartphones have this problem. The flash does overexpose, but since I don’t use it as a camera in the evening, this is not a drawback for me.
2 years ago 0
After watching a photo or video for a long time, it gets very hot, the games don’t always drag, they lag, the battery is weak, it runs out quickly, the buttons don’t always work, I can list a lot more...
2 years ago 0
Among the shortcomings, I would mention the dampness of the software, which is why sometimes users have problems with the network dropping out in one SIM card. But all this will be cured in an upcoming Android update. And ZTE, according to my information, listens very carefully to all user comments and promises to fix everything)
Another disadvantage is the lack of popularity of this model yet, which is why there are no custom firmwares yet. fortunately the root appeared recently)
I won’t say anything about the camera, I’ve never taken a photo with my phone, and I didn’t understand why it was necessary. I have a DSLR for this)
2 years ago 0
Quiet speaker
2 years ago 0
The camera is average, but I use it all the time, I post photos to contact, everything works. The flash shines close to you, you just need to turn it off, then everything will work out.
2 years ago 0
Not good at all games
Camera
Rare freezes
2 years ago 0
quiet (downloaded the volume booster program - now some phones have a rest in volume!)
2 years ago 0
Many people complain about SIM cards being dumped. I also encountered this. The first week after the purchase, I was close to returning the phone to the seller. The SIM cards fell off after every (!!!) trip to the metro. By the way, he couldn’t pick up the phone at all in the metro itself. I don’t know what happened then - maybe replacing one SIM card with a newer one helped (the old MTS SIM card was purchased back in 2002) - but suddenly the dumps stopped! And since then, the phone can pick up the phone in the subway, and instantly restore the network if it is lost in the tunnels.
Complaints about the “cheap plastic of the case” are unfounded. Pick up some ALCATEL or FLY, then you will simply vomit - everything is much worse there, and the cost is even more expensive.
I can say the same about the camera - who doesn’t like 5MP with autofocus (which works great, by the way) - take the above “brands”, in which
2 years ago 0
1. It won’t die. Works like new, no glitches, I'm already tired of it, I want it new phone, but the hand does not rise to throw away a completely non-buggy device.
2. During navigation, communication with satellites (GPS) periodically disappears, for a minute there are satellites, for 20 seconds there are no satellites, there are for a minute, then there are no satellites again. It is connected specifically with the GPS sensor, since this happened both on the old android and after flashing on the new one. And this happens in any navigation application (Navitel, Google and Yandex maps, and ten other programs)
PS
It turned out that this bug is related to the firmware, and not to the sensor. Once again I changed the firmware and now there are no problems with GPS at all.
2 years ago 0
The sound is quiet (the problem was solved by updating to Android 4)
easily soiled screen
The battery could have been bigger
back cover (can be easily broken), although no matter how many times I removed it and how many times it fell, it never broke)
In the modern world, many of us have to use two phones with different SIM cards at once, this may be due to the mass of the most various reasons. For example, a smartphone has a SIM card for data transfer at a favorable rate, and an inexpensive device has a card for calls. This is roughly what happens to me. But for many this is unacceptable; after all, both devices need to be charged and carried somehow. Today I want to talk about an ordinary-looking smartphone based on Android, firmly built, with a calm design, but it can work with two SIM cards at the same time. For many of you, the ZTE V880E can be a tool for all occasions.
Scope of delivery
The kit includes an AC adapter, a USB cable is connected to it, it is quite possible to use this same cable separately for charging or synchronization. There is a stereo headset, documentation, in general, everything you need for life.
Design
The device comes in simple packaging, nothing superfluous, the same words can be said about the device itself, nothing superfluous. The company logo on the back is almost invisible, the battery cover fits tightly, but is also easy to remove, and I liked that there is a pattern on the cover, it looks great. On the back there is a camera lens and a flash, on the right there is a volume rocker, on the top end there is a power button, a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset or headphones, on the left side there is a microUSB connector. Below is the microphone point. Everything is in its place, the front part, the frame around the screen are black, the main part of the body is dark gray. The speaker is covered with a metal grille, the assembly is good, nothing moves anywhere, nothing is loose, everything is as it should be. Dimensions 122.5 x 64.6 x 12 mm, weight about 130 grams.
Screen diagonal 4 inches, resolution 480 x 800 pixels, the screen is quite normal for a device of this class, if desired, you can Angry Birds start it up and watch the movie, and that’s all that’s supposed to happen.
The memory card slot is not located under the battery, so it can be replaced quickly and without restarting the system.
Working with two SIM cards
Below the battery is the SIM card compartment, keep in mind that it's not all that simple. One slot is labeled WCDMA/GSM, the other is simply GSM, if you need to use 3G for communication, then install the SIM card in the compartment with WCDMA, because the second one does not have this option. Both SIM cards are available at the same time in standby mode, the names of two operators are displayed on the screen in a locked state, and in the status line you can see the signal level of each card. When making a call, you need to choose which card to use; one or two call buttons are displayed depending on the number of SIM cards.
If you are talking using one SIM card, the second number will not be available at this time. Accordingly, if a call comes in, you will receive an SMS notification.
And when selecting a message, you can also choose which SIM card to use for this, convenient for those who connect packages of relevant services to a particular contract.
In the settings for the first SIM card, you can select automatic switching of GSM/WCDMA modes, only WCDMA or only GSM. The quality of speech transmission is good, the interlocutors did not complain, everything is in order.
Why might you need two SIM cards in such a device? I’ll give a simple example; I myself am not a supporter of such solutions, but a friend who saw my V880E and learned about the possibilities immediately tried to take the device away. Because of his work, he is forced to use as many as two corporate SIM cards and for this he bought a couple of cheap phones, in addition to his main smartphone. And with the V880E you can get rid of the headache - charge both phones, plus it’s hard to write SMS there, and you can’t install any programs, be it games or something for business. And here's Android. I don’t have to invent all this; I’m giving almost direct speech. A friend also noted the appearance of the device, nothing superfluous, everything is strict, to the point, only the touch buttons under the display were criticized. Well, this is not for everyone.
Opening hours
The capacity of the installed battery is 1650 mAh, the operating time, as in other Android devices, very much depends on what you will do with the device and how exactly you will use it. If you only make calls and receive SMS, you can count on two days (after disabling the synchronization capabilities). If you play, use the browser and watch videos, then the battery charge will last for a day. Overall, the V880E performs roughly like an Android smartphone with a single SIM card, which is a good result.
Android version
The version used here is Android 2.3.6, but ZTE promises to soon release a software update to Android 4.0. The company wants to offer users its own shell and a number of its own features, which is nice, here are some of them:
- Your own task manager widget with the ability to close the application, which is very convenient
- File manager, files on the right, folder tree on the left
- In shooting mode, it is possible to smoothly change the digital “zoom”, although I would not recommend using this same “zoom”, the quality suffers
- FM radio is stylized by ZTE, that's nice too
- Your own calendar and clock widgets
- Applications for copying user data (Contacts, SMS, Calendar, MMS)
- Various minor improvements
Performance
The device uses a Qualcomm chipset, unlike a number of budget solutions. 1 GHz processor, which is enough for almost any task (unless you should try to watch very heavy movies or play very heavy games), 4 GB of memory, 2.5 GB available to the user, which allows you not to think about the size of installed applications. There is a slot for a microSD memory card, cards up to 32 GB are supported. The camera resolution is 5 megapixels, autofocus, flash, you can take quite decent shots.
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I checked the device's performance using AnTuTu, a good application, by the way, created by our developer. As a result, the device received 2890 points, you can see the results in the screenshots. Compared to some competitors, the ZTE V880E (when measured in AnTuTu) shows much better performance. However, tests are tests, but also in real life The V880E behaves well, desktop scrolling is smooth, and basic applications launch quickly.
Conclusions
A neat Android smartphone with two SIM cards, practical, convenient, costs about 8,000 rubles. And you can find it cheaper. Working with two SIM cards is implemented simply, but functionally, everything works. It will be interesting to see what changes with the advent of the update to Android 4.0. The device is well-tailored, tightly sewn and for the money it is more than interesting - especially for those who can no longer walk with two phones at the same time, charge them, take care of them, take care of them and cherish them. It’s better to cherish and nurture the ZTE V880E, where two SIM cards and a sea of positive vibrations are hidden in the depths at once - I would advise the company not to stop working on its shell and, I want to believe, a device with two active radio modules from ZTE will soon appear (what kind of battery will be needed there , I have no idea). Well, I can confidently recommend the V880E for purchase; it’s good for the money.
Sergey Kuzmin ()
