Maybe nowadays Gizmo friends have heard the term “affordable smartphones, now it’s getting better”. Not even just in the mid-range class, even the million rupiah class has complete features. Then what about the ZTE Blade A35 which is less than Rp1 million?
Yes, the more affordable smartphones become, the more vendors try to provide new options in the Rp900 thousand price range. Through the presence of the ZTE Blade A35, ZTE seems to want to prove that they can present a device that is still comfortable for daily use.
In fact, not only essential features, the ZTE Blade A35 also brings a number of extra features, while appearing in a stylish design. Curious about all it has to offer? Here’s the full ZTE Blade A35 review.
Design
Looks contemporary and stylish. That was my initial impression when I first saw the design of the ZTE Blade A35-it’s hard to believe that it costs less than Rp1 million. It’s usually just a simple look, but ZTE still manages to give it an interesting twist here and there.
Such as the red accents on the power button typical of ZTE smartphones (up to the circle of camera sensors on the back), as well as the surface of the rear body that replicates glossy glass, given points of shine that are still quite subtle, appearing only when exposed to certain lighting on the Starry Black color option. The sides and back are flat, and the overall body of the ZTE Blade A35 feels quite solid in the hand.
Thickness reaches 85mm, with a weight range of 190 grams. The design of the ZTE Blade A35 is very competitive with other Android smartphone options that may cost twice as much. It’s worth appreciating because it can provide an interesting choice.
Read also: ZTE nubia Music brings loud speakers and dual audio jacks, priced at Rp11 million!
Screen
Not just wide, the quality of the ZTE Blade A35 screen panel is also in my opinion worthy of thumbs up, again for the targeted price segment. It reaches 675 inches in diameter so it’s perfect for accessing multimedia content, has HD+ resolution and uses a 90Hz IPS panel.
Yep, it’s less than a million, but it supports a high refresh rate based on 60-90Hz adaptive. The thickness of the side bezels is relatively thin (in its class, yes), including the size of the camera on the top side which is relatively mini. The ZTE Blade A35’s screen is vibrant, has a fairly wide viewing angle, and is still visible when outdoors.
To complement the vibrant screen, ZTE has embedded a feature or gimmick that I find interesting and useful. Namely Live Island, which can display important notifications when needed, even while accessing other applications. For example, when activating the timer, the countdown seconds will appear on the top side of the screen. While charging, it will also inform the battery percentage more clearly.
And for me personally, who quite often records voice when covering news, there is a real-time voice recording notification, showing the recording duration, and I can stop without having to leave the other application that is being accessed. Helpful isn’t it?
Camera
Although it looks like there are four separate circles in the rear camera module, the ZTE Blade A35 camera is actually equipped with a 13MP main sensor, and is paired with an AI sensor. For basic features such as automatic HDR, to portrait features have also been embedded. With a relatively simple camera app interface.
The camera quality of the ZTE Blade A35 is more or less in line with my expectations for a smartphone that costs less than Rp1 million. Under abundant lighting conditions, the colors are quite good, except that the dynamic range is slightly limited. The portrait feature can also work well, as long as there are not many other objects in the way “disturbing” the main object.
I didn’t find any dedicated night mode, but when the ZTE Blade A35’s camera detects a nighttime scenario, a notification will appear that the night algorithm is automatically applied. For sharing needs on messaging apps or social media, it’s still perfectly adequate.
The complete photo results of the ZTE Blade A35 camera, can be accessed by Gizmo friends through the following albums.
In the video recording sector, the ZTE Blade A35 is capable of recording up to 1080p 30fps resolution on the back, and 720p 30fps from the 5MP selfie camera on the front. In the absence of EIS, it’s better if you don’t move much while recording a video, or use an additional stabilizer for more stable footage.
Features
Another interesting thing that can be obtained from the ZTE Blade A35, is the use of Android 14, which currently includes the latest, and not the Go edition version. The interface is simple and easy to use. There is a certain amount of bloatware brought in, but much of it can be removed. During use, I didn’t notice any annoying ads at all.
The ZTE Blade A35’s security features, which only rely on the face unlock option for the simplest way to unlock the screen, can function optimally and relatively quickly as long as the lighting is sufficient. While it still carries a 35mm audio jack, the quality of the ZTE Blade A35’s mono speaker is also quite good. Not just tight.
MyOS 14 on the ZTE Blade A35, providing a number of extra features that can be utilized. From screen recording, gesture-based shortcut options, to the ability to duplicate social media apps such as Facebook. That way, there is no need to download additional apps that generally come with ads or burden the performance of smartphones.
Performance
With its very affordable price, it is only natural that this aspect is not the most favorable. On paper, the 28nm octa-core Unisoc SC9863A chip embedded into the ZTE Blade A35 is very mature indeed. But thanks to the relatively clean appearance of the Android 14 interface, combined with a fairly spacious memory capacity, it feels like it can help the performance a little better.
The RAM capacity of the ZTE Blade A35 is arguably one of the largest in its class, reaching 4GB. Feels lacking? There is the option of adding up to 8GB of virtual RAM, which when combined, becomes 12GB. The virtual RAM is taken from the 64GB internal storage capacity of the eMMC-based smartphone-still expandable using a microSD card, via a dedicated card slot.
For light use such as accessing WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, or e-commerce applications, it’s still okay. Most when you have to switch applications aka multitasking, you need to wait a few seconds until the application is fully open. If so, the smoothness in the application is relatively maintained. So it’s still safe for daily use.
You can also play games, from Free Fire, Honor of Kings, or Mobile Legends. As long as you don’t use the ZTE Blade A35 for serious competition, because with medium-to-low graphics settings, sometimes there are still frame-drops. If it’s just casual play, it can still be enjoyed.
Battery
This smartphone certainly carries a large battery capacity equivalent to today’s Android releases, which reaches 5,000 mAh. In the sales package, a charger adapter with 5W power is included. If you want to go faster, you can use a charger with a speed of 10W. Then how is the durability?
Although the chipset uses 28nm fabrication, the ZTE Blade A35’s battery can last approximately a full day. Given that this is not a flagship, of course the intensity of use will not be the same. So that when used with lighter needs, it still feels quite durable really. The standby time is the only thing that needs to be considered.
And with 10W charging, it takes a little extra time to charge from zero to full, roughly almost three hours. At least, the port type is USB-C, although the price is very affordable. So just use one cable for smartphones and other gadgets, no hassle when traveling.
Conclusion
For the price segment offered, I think it is very sufficient when a smartphone is able to offer essential functions. Other things such as design, camera quality, or performance are secondary. Interestingly, the ZTE Blade A35, offers more than just the essentials.
The design is cool, the Live Island feature is quite helpful, and the camera is still okay to share on social media. Performancence is the simplest aspect, at least accompanied by a large RAM to help performance. The ZTE Blade A35 could be the most interesting smartphone option under Rp1 million at the moment.
ZTE Blade A35 Specifications
[aps_product_specs id=”129309″]
