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ZTE is quickly becoming one of the brands you should be on the lookout for in the UK. I was particularly impressed with the Red Magic 6R, which is a gaming sub-brand, and the latest announcement has piqued my interest more.
The ZTE Axon 30 has been announced for the Chinese market but they plan to launch globally. The brand hasn’t confirmed UK availability, but I am hopeful. The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is already available in the UK for £649 and so is the previous generation ZTE Axon 20.
The stand out feature of the ZTE Axon 30 is the under-display selfie camera. So you get a completely uninterrupted display without any mechanical pop-out cameras.
This is the 2nd phone ZTE has launched with one of these cameras, the previous ZTE Axon 20 included a 30MP sensor, while this one gets a lower resolution of 16 MP.
I am personally not a huge selfie fan, so have an under-display camera is a big selling point for me, even if it turns out you sacrifice a bit of quality for it.
The rest of the phone is impressively specced offering what is hopefully an affordable flagship alternative
ZTE Axon 30 Specification
- Display: 6.92 inches, 120Hz AMOLED, 2400×1080
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
- RAM/Storage: 6GB/128GB up to 12GB/256GB
- Rear Camera:
- 64 MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/1.73″, 0.8µm, PDAF
- 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm (ultrawide)
- 5 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
- Front Camera: under display 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide
- Battery & Charging: 4200 mAh and 55W power delivery fast charging
ZTE Axon 30 Price and Availability
Pricing in China starts at CNY 2,198 ($338/£245) for the 6/128GB model and goes up to CNY 3,098 (£343/$476) for the 12/256GB model.
UK pricing will be higher, the older ZTE Azon 20 is £419 so I would expect around that price.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra & Pro
ZTE also have two models sitting above this new phone. These both use the Snapdragon 888, but they both use traditional punch hole selfie cameras.
The Ultra model is particularily interesting, it is quite affordable at £649 but the rear camera spec is quite unique with
- 64 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
- 64 MP, f/1.9, 35mm (standard), 1/1.97″, 0.7µm, PDAF
- 8 MP, f/3.4, 123mm (periscope telephoto), 1/4.0″, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom
- 64 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.97″, 0.7µm
Full Press Release:
ZTE has launched its new-generation under-display camera smartphone the ZTE Axon 30 in China.
ZTE has been proven to be the full-screen trendsetter by creating the new under-display camera smartphone segment. By virtue of the upgrades of its leading under-display camera technologies, the company has further accelerated the commercialization process of the under-display camera smartphone. The ZTE Axon 30 will bring an unprecedented new experience to its users.
Ni Fei, Senior Vice President of ZTE Corporation and President of the Mobile Device Division, said, “Screen and photography are the two development directions of future smartphone evolution. Today, we bring our new-generation under-display camera smartphone ZTE Axon 30. With further reinforced performance and comprehensive upgrades, the ZTE Axon 30 proves a leap-forward improvement and brings our users a revolutionary full-screen visual experience compared to the previous generation.”
Full-screen Trendsetter towards Future
To achieve the best balance between the display performance and the screen form, ZTE has overcome numerous technical challenges and brought about a qualitative leap in the front camera invisibility and the display performance, powered by its continuous innovation and upgrades in the six core technologies, including the special pixel matrix, unique driver circuits, independent display chip, front camera, in-house selfie algorithm, and larger light-sensitive 4-in-1 2.24um equivalent large pixel camera.
The under-display camera area screen is the first one worldwide, with a high pixel density of 400 PPI. This can provide better display performance while maintaining high transmittance and an improved visual integration with the screen as a whole. Its ingenious circuit arrangement enables the synchronization between the front camera and the conventional display area, thus promising the more natural transition between them. The new device is equipped with an independent display chip, which makes the display more accurate and synchronized, through intelligent pixel enhancement and intelligent display optimization. 7 layers of highly transparent materials and 3 special processing technologies are used to make the under-display camera area more light-transmissive. Combined with the larger light-sensitive 4-in-1 2.24um equivalent large pixel camera, it creates an excellent light environment for shooting.
The ZTE Axon 30 is also the first under-display camera smartphone, with a screen of 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate. The ZTE Axon 30 is also equipped with a 6.92-inch AMOLED screen and a 20.5:9 cinema-grade screen ratio while combined with DTS:X® Ultra immersive 3D audio technology. The smartphone brings its users a high-quality movie viewing experience. The screen covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 10-bit color depth and 1.07 billion colors.
It is the first smartphone across the globe to be authorized with the three authoritative eye protection certifications, covering TUV, SGS and UL. The ZTE Axon 30’s screen can effectively reduce blue light radiation, protect eyesight, and support DC dimming to reduce visual fatigue caused by screen flicker, providing multiple features for its users to care for their eyes.
Revolutionary User Experiences Powered by Strong Performance
In terms of performance, the ZTE Axon 30 is equipped with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 870G mobile platform with a “1+3+4” octa-core design and a maximum core frequency of 3.2GHz. This perfectly supports a professional-class gaming experience with its computing, graphics rendering and networking capabilities. The new device adopts the self-developed memory fusion technology, using part of the free storage space to expand the running memory by up to 5GB.
The powerful photography features have recently become a key part of ZTE Axon series. The ZTE Axon 30 continues this trend equipped with the AI quad-camera, including a 64 megapixel main camera, a 120-degree wide-angle camera, a 3cm macro lens and a depth-of-field lens. Thus, it can allow users to easily play around with various shooting scenarios. It can also supportmulti-camera simultaneous shooting, providing users with a variety of shooting perspective options. Furthermore, it includes the Super Night Mode function of the camera that can suppress night noise through an AI algorithm that retains more charming night colors for users.
The new camera comes with a variety of classic filtersand supports 3D Lut filters for users to customize as they like. Its magic color change function also allows you to choose a single color in the image, while offering more options to change the area you want to change with a different color of your choice. More personalized camera shooting modes continue with the ZTE Axon series by unlocking a wonderful and colorful world of images for users.
The ZTE Axon 30 supports dual-way video stabilization for the main camera and wide angle camera that can intelligently correct video shooting jitter in motion and make dynamic video shooting more clear and stable. The phone’s VLOG intelligent short video functions support Hitchcock zoom, pull focus effects, built-in fast playback, slow motion and rewind. It is also equipped with dynamic, artistic and multiple sets of cool filming templates to support users easily filming in a variety of different styles.
In terms of 5G experiences, the ZTE Axon 30 provides seamless connectivity. The Axon 30 features the 5G super antenna 3.1that is equipped with a “anti-lock” antenna system and a dual Wi-Fi antenna. Regardless of vertical grip or horizontal grip, it can prevent hands from blocking the antenna and improve the signal transmission capabilities by 100%. Its unique network detection algorithm can help the phone intelligently identify the best network and realize seamless switching and intelligent acceleration of 5G/Wi-Fi1/Wi-Fi2 channels to ensure quick and stable internet experiences all the time.
Sleek Design and Sustained Power
The ZTE Axon 30 adopts an ultra-thin body design with a thickness of only 7.8mm and a weight of 189g. This matches the ultra-narrow bezel, double waistline and dynamic streamline aesthetic design to allow the whole device’s appearance to be avant-class, in line with current aesthetic trends.
The new camera area on the back of the device features an iconic LABEL design by creating a unique image fusion technology label. The rear shell is made of 3D composite polymer material with nano-level glow texture overlaid. Its illusion holographic effect can bring a rich light and shadow change with a dazzling beauty of colors. The new device has two colorways: Black and Aqua, for users to choose from, giving them a unique option to match their preferences.
The ZTE Axon 30 is also equipped with a 4200mAh battery and 55W fast charging. The triple ice cooling system, consisting of a large VC liquid cooling plate, thermal gel, and graphene copper-based composite material, can guarantee the continuous high performance.
In the wave of technological innovation, The ZTE Axon 30 is on a continuous exploration of under-display camera technology. The new iteration of its product strength will bring consumers a new experience beyond their imagination. Model versions and price information to be added as updates come in.
The global version is coming soon on the ZTE official website.
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.