ZTE Grand X Pro Reviews

The ZTE Grand X is, all things considered, a perfectly good device. It’s cheap, it’s got Android 4.0, and — in case I haven’t said it enough yet — it’s stock. Combine that with a proven, battle-worn processor in the Tegra 2 and it provides all the functions that a user can expect from a modern smartphone, sidestepping the perils of over-design and bloatware. It’s not the best looking phone on the market, but neither is it ugly, and though elements of its construction could have been better executed, it’s not the sort of device that’s likely to fall apart after a few months of use. Any user without an irrational fear of fingerprints or a compulsive need for super-accurate touch response should get on with the Grand X just fine. Unfortunately, as an obvious (if not exactly self-professed) mid-range device, this phone will live or die by price. And here’s the rub: the Grand X is available now, not from any of the major UK carriers, but from Phones 4u (and coming soon to Virgin Media). It's available for free on any monthly contract over £20.50, or £49.99 on a cheaper plan. Virgin Media has revealed a prepaid cost of £189 ($293) and a range of 24-month contract options. Even the cheapest, offering 500MB of data at £24 ($37) for new users and £19 ($29) for existing Virgin customers, has to compete with subsidized and better-advertised deals from the likes of Carphone Warehouse, which until recently offered the HTC One S with unlimited data for a mere £16 ($25) per month. It’s still affordable compared to other phones on Virgin Media, with the Galaxy S III and the One X coming in at monthly tariffs of £38 ($60) for 500MB, but that’s hardly a massive point in its favor.

A stock Android smartphone that is outclassed by the competition

ZTE gets a lot of credit from us for providing a simple, barebones version of Android. Many users like this, and unlike early versions of the mobile OS, in its default flavour, it's pretty much feature-complete. Of course, you get some budget phone shortcomings as well. For example, there's distinct lack of built-in memory and the touchscreen isn't anywhere near sensitive enough for power users. For our money, and more importantly, yours, the Grand X is a little bit too expensive. While it's not a bad device, it's not a great one either. For £200, there are plenty of smartphones out there to choose from. And while the Grand X does have a specification advantage, in practice, we've never struggled with the operator-locked phones like the T-Mobile Vivacity, which are usually pretty responsive.

ZTE's Grand X delivers well on some levels. The combination of good specifications for less than £200 with unspoilt Android 4.0 makes it an attractive package. It will certainly play games and suits video content too. However, you should take into account the poor cameras and terminal battery life.