ZTE has set the bar for uber-cheap Android phones with the new ZTE Blade Spark. The device is a $99 device with a fingerprint sensor and a primarily budget-based handset in terms of specification. With a price tag like that, its features are conservative, to say the least.
The ZTE Blade Spark is hitting AT&T Prepaid for the low price of $100 in the US. One of the major USPs that the device has to offer is that it brings with it a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, making it one of the most secure budget-friendly phones that is currently available on the market. Even the rest of the phone’s specs are considerably average for the price, is more that can be expected of a phone with the market rate that it is going for.
It comes with a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 425 processor and Android Nougat 7.1.1. That will be sufficient enough power to run basic to medium tasks as well as a little bit of multi-tasking. The Nougat OS is a good inclusion, keeping up to date with the current Android version as seen in various other newer phones being launched of late. The phone resembles the Motorola Moto X from the back, especially on the top and bottom where the lips come in. Nevertheless, the phone remains the standard budget affair with a bezels and capacitive buttons as well.
Blade Spark features a 5.5-inch 720p panel with an impressive 13MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front. To boot, the phone has also some more tricks up its sleeve in the form of Dolby audio, Gorilla Glass 3 for protection of the screen and a dedicated selfie button. All of the core software is managed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of in-built storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD.
Considering that the phone comes with Nougat installed, it will also have the latest security patches for Android, further protecting the software of the phone. For so many features at such a affordable package, it would be surprising if ZTE did not make a record number of sales in the budget segment alone. Other devices in the same segment include the Moto G5 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy J3 which both cost $185 and $110 respectively, with trade-offs in terms of features and pricing on both phones.