ZTE Axon 7 Real Camera Review: Ambitious but flawed... | Pocketnow
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
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ZTE sells the Axon 7 at price which seems too good to be true. For $400, does this smartphone have the goods to compete with other budget busters like the OnePlus 3? Can it give more expensive phones a run for THEIR money? Here's the most in depth look at the Axon 7 camera available online in our Real Camera Review!
2016 will be remembered by gadget fans as the year of the "budget buster". This year represents a turning point for manufacturers building phones in the $200-$400 range, where they significantly closed the gap between mid-range fare and higher end devices.
The Axon 7 has a terrific collection of specs on paper, but how does this package compete against similarly priced options, and can it still hang with more expensive handsets? This Qualcomm 820 powered phone boasts a 20MP Samsung sourced camera sensor with optical image stabilization, phase detection auto focus, and an f/1.8 aperture. It's also the first smartphone we've tested which uses h.265 compression for higher quality video. This is an incredibly ambitious collection of hardware and software to be offered for $400, so it's time we ran this phone through our Real Camera Review set of tests and benchmarks.
Looking at exposure, saturation, white balance, low light conditions, image stabilization, zooming, HDR, macro, panorama stitching, and UHD video we're going to determine if this camera is hot hardware or just hype. Do you want to know what the Axon 7 camera is really capable of? Here's the most in-depth look available online!
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ZTE Axon 7 Real Camera Review: Ambitious but flawed... | Pocketnow
• ZTE Axon 7 Real Camera...
PocketNow
/ pocketnow
Thumbs up for Juan saying "Mega-pickle"
Werd :-)
pickle-rick !
0:17 "looks a bit like a yelling minion"...I will never unsee this
Heh-heh...
Beasty dang
where can I get a 20 megapickle camera??
i thought it was just me.
haha lyon hes not being serious he's making a joke, Juan pronounces megapixel as megapickle xD
looks like someone's never seen Lumia 950 lol (oh and I remember Juan also mentioned its camera as 20 megapickles in his old channel)
I was making fun of how he SAID megapixel. He pronounced it "megapickle."
I know there are 20 megapixel phones out there! Did the joke really fly over everyone's head?
Larry Lopez I was replying to *****
I never trust any other camera review until I see Juan's.
His camera reviews are the best on UA-cam!
so true
megapickle
long live the real camera review!!
Huzzah!
J.J. Abrams would love this phone's camera for the lens flares.
LOL!
I would love to see a Nexus 6P real camera review from you Juan, would love to know how its camera stacks up to this phone & the OnePlus 3 as the 3 of them share a relatively same price.
Can you make that happen :-)
He did reviews of the Nexus 5x, which is essentially the same camera found on the 6p
I asked him could he do a real camera review for the 6p but he said he's only doing phones that came out this year.
Yeah unfortunately these are just a bit too much work to backtrack and I never got to play with a Nexus on my old personal channel. Gotta move forward from some point, so we decided to focus on this year's releases.
Muhammad Mansour If you want the best camera for the price, get OnePlus 3. it have a Sony Lens with excellent colors, its good even in darker conditions, every photo gets good. Its got great 4K Video (though only for 10 minutes at a time). Its got Optical image stabilization as well as software ithink. I bought it, it looks pretty hard to beat! However iv seen the high resolution screen of Axon7 and its alot better, so should the sound be. Its up to you what you prioritize the most!
Did he say 20 mega pickle camera ???
hahaha yes he did😂
Yeah, it's a running gag from Juan
+Mattias Verduijn hence why it was punted out nice one 👍🏻😝
It's am on going joke in his videos
+Javier Prado *an
ZTE is seriously making a name for themselves, making some great bargain phones, great review as always.
INCREDIBLE bang for buck. Seriously well done effort here.
I hate when people complain about lack of professional options on a freaking cellphone. If you're such a professional photographer enthusiast, just use a actual camera that satisfies these professionals needs. Camera PHONES are for average users who just want to take a quick shot on the go. Not someone who's looking for professional results. ⬇
Mitch C Have you ever seen any long exposure night shots of the sky? I think they're really cool and wish all smartphones had 20+ second exposure times. Also The best camera is the one you have on you. Nobody walks around with a professional camera all day so it would be nice to have actual full control of the only camera we have on us 24/7
I always watch camera reviews on my phone, which only goes up to 360p on youtube, but when it's a real camera review from Juan, I go directly to my computer to watch it in better resolution.
Been waiting for this and now it's here :)
Nice! Glad you've been enjoying the series!
:)
Camera is not that bad at all at daylight but I'll just let my Nokia 808 do the photography side. Axon 7 has the best DAC though based on reviews against HTC 10 and Alcatel Idol4s plus front speakers, so I have to go with Axon7. I just hope ZTE will unlock the bootloader to optimize its software. ZTE Axon 7 Quartz Grey, here I come! lol
LOL Nokia 808... Such an unfair comparison...
:-D
still the best, Sir Juan. will never let this beast go. ;)
They fit 20 megapickles in this tiny phone. Thats some technology right there. Take that Apple. You couldnt even fit 1 whole apple in yours, you took a bite out of it.
extra pickles in a burger won't make a burger better than the less pickle burger
+PsychoticGuardian Ismael agreed
+PsychoticGuardian Ismael But that's all about preference
Ha!
Juan is the most reliable and thorough reviewer when it comes to smartphone cameras. Specially since now UA-cam is littered with sponsored reviewers who lie through their teeth!
Are you going to review the Note 7 camera seperately?
Yes, we will ^ADN
it's exactly the same as the s7 lol
Even the slightest changes in hardware or software can sometimes make a big difference ^ADN
+Pocketnow EXACTLY!
+Pocketnow hey if we consider camera then this or op3?
not sure the title does the camera justice. the few flaws aren't deal breakers.. the S7 is also flawed but dialed it back on the criticism and that's $800+. Axon 7 also improved after software updates. still my favorite reviewer, most in depth camera reviews on UA-cam.
I can't wait to the actual review!
When the review will be on youtube?
Axon 7 now has RAW format on manual mode with the Nougat update.
whens the phone review coming out?
where is the full review of the ZTE Axon 7?? Can you compare it with HTC 10??
I wish my ZTE Axon 7 had a 20 mega-pickles camera... Instead, it's just a measly 20 mega-pixels
Could u compare the axon 7 and OP3 camera
OP3 wins, no contest. lot's of comparisons between these phones' cameras are available here in youtube
I won't be doing a standalone camera comparison video, but if you pull up our OP3 camera review, you'll see VERY similar shots to the samples we shot here on the Axon.
Thanks for the unbias review unlike Greuss Drey who's a total fanboy
So are they neck and neck or does one edge out the other in terms of image quality, usability?
OP3 is better, especially in low light scenarios.
such in-depth review.......... ZTE would have never thought of that.
great review as always...
He always does that :-)
Awesome Video bother as always. It's shocking how many people talking down about this camera bc it doesn't beat the S7e and Note7 camera.....Axon 7 looks like a very good shooter for the price range.
Seriously been pissing me off. This is TERRIFIC performance for a $400 phone.
JuanBagnell it's the fanboys. If it's not what mommy got them then it sucks. Ignore it bro and keep up the awesome work.
I was thinking long a hard about buying this phone as my work phone. I ended up grabbing the note 7 just bc the spen fits with work better. I do have write down info all the time and the spen seems like a great fit. If wasn't for that I would be over all this bc of the price is just hard to beat.
Adam Mckeithan
Yup. S-Pen is really the only stylus game in town isn't it...
JuanBagnell the only good one as of right now.
its 2017 and im still thinking of buyng this phone. cant wait to use the surround sound speakers and to the high pitched sound trolling noise on my friends
when is the full review coming out pocketnow????
I just realized after like 5 of these real camera reviews that he says "megapickle" That's wonderful, I'm stealing that, Juan. lol
I can't be the only one hearing megapicke instead of megapixel.
"pickle
That's just what he says. I don't think I've ever heard him say pixel and I've seen all his reviews.
+Kyle Netherwood 0:43?
What he use to say in his own videos b4 pocketnow.
I thought it was a joke at first but he keeps saying it..
You make me glad I pre-ordered the Axon 7 from Newegg. Ordering from ZTE USA meant having to pay $50 in taxes!
Ha! Nicely done :-)
After reviewing this review Jan it's clear that ZTE had a clear vision of value without any real noticeable compromise. The exposure adjustment slider isn't even available on the G5 or 1080p 60fps video... $400. This sensor looses detail around the edges of the most noticeably probably due to the wide aperture.
I really can not understand people that pay over 700 bucks for a smartphone when you get almost the same for 400.
Im so in love with this camera videos! Great work juan I think you are the most awesome Michael Fisher replacement! and even better.
:-)
Are you going to do a full review of this phone?
A well research camera review, however one thing I want to is to what extent Axon7 can stand against beast camera phones such as iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy S7
GS7 really is something special this year. You can watch our GS7 camera review and see similar shooting conditions to compare.
Great video Juan. I've been following you since before you joined Pocket Now, and I can honestly say that your camera reviews are the most in-depth I've ever seen.
With the Axon, coming from an S7 Edge , the Axon 7 offers a great camera with a few issues that can hopefully be corrected by a software update. The biggest weakness is the inconsistency and poor low light quality. With that said, while it can't match the S7 Edge, it does an admirable job. I've blown up a few photos on my 4k screen and was impressed.
+john doe I agree. However, ZTE has already stated that they have an entire team dedicated to camera improvements. I believe a software update could improve low light performance, especially since it has a decent aperture.
Absolutely. I've been kinda pissed off by the people trashing this camera because it doesn't magically beat a phone which costs $200 more. This is TERRIFIC performance for $400. It trades blows well with the OP3 and iPhone SE. It's punching WAY above its price tag compared to where we were even two years ago.
There's certainly some room for improvement, so I hope ZTE uses this as a platform to improve and tweak. Little things could help a lot, like a better night mode. For stationary objects, I was really impressed with the OP3 solution for scanning a night shot. Also, improving HDR capture times would help TREMENDOUSLY at night. I think they can milk more out of this hardware for sure.
I have this phone now and it is really awesome, but the camera is hit or miss. No lags at all and really fast. Little software things that are a little frustrating but a great phone over all. One Plus 3 does take better pics in my opinion.
Hey, Juan, will you be reviewing the Axon's camera AFTER this latest update? Supposedly, it improves RF reception, camera performance, and fingerprint sensor performance.
When did you get an update? Still no system update on my North America model.
Android Authority said the update was released today. Lots of guys over on XDA have it.
I don't have the Axon 7. Yet. Juan's review was the nail in its coffin for me.
Hmm downloading the patch now. So far, the Axon 7 has been really good for me. Even signal strength hasn't been an issue. If this improves the signal like it says it will, maybe that'll be even better, if it doesn't introduce new issues.
So far the camera is a bit better in low light. Not a big difference anywhere else I've seen but it didn't really have a lot of other weaknesses.
Signal strength is MUCH improved though.
Great review with excellent detailed annotation/commentary!! Looking forward for similar review of Note 7!
YOU KNOW we're going to tear into that phone hard. I'm hoping we see at least some slight tweaks to performance over the S7...
When is the full review for this phone out?
pnow's Real Camera review is the new benchmark.
Right on bud :-)
The focusing speed test beginning in 4:12 really bother me. the change in exposure each time the focus shifts is really distracting.
I been subscribing since the real camera review for P9. Now I am hoping to see the Honor 8 soon. Btw, may I check what stylus is that I been seeing in the review?
You gave the ZTE Axon 7 justice in this Review and I'm extremely happy for that. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Glad you enjoyed it! It was a fun camera to use.
JuanBagnell Thank you for replying! Did you like it equally or more than the OnePlus 3 from your personal use?
Phillip Morales
Oooof that's tough. Pros and cons, but I think the OP3 is slightly more polished overall, and I really like having RAW capture, but this would be a really close fight.
JuanBagnell Maybe have a future video having them VS? Compare the two from Design, Performance, Speakers/Audio, to Camera. I'd be especially excited because I LOVE how in depth you are with Speaker and Camera Comparisons so this would be great!
Finally a positive review! Now with the raw support and improved camera software it's propably even better! Considering buying this phone :)
Hey Juan, great review as always, could you check whether the camera 2.0 api is fully implemented? It's the compatability checker on the play store. I wonder whether you could use another camera app to get raw files. It's always good to check the camera 2.0 api implementation when they don't include raw or camera speed controls.
Hi Juan, I know this is an old video but I'm in regression cause I just bought an idol 4s to replace my moto X pure. Guess u see I'm a speakerfile. Love good front facing speakers.
My point here is,,, are we buying phones primarily for a great camera, or buying a camera with a mediocre phone? Did you ever find out the issue with the axons radio signal lacking? I never heard one good explanation or if it ever got fixed. I know my 4s has everything I like in a phone and,,, good phone quality as well. Thanks Juan. Your reviews are stellar.
The sensor is the s5k2t8
It was going to be on the Samsung galaxy s7 but samsung decided to go with larger megapixels.
The weird think is that Samsung doesn't list this sensor on their website.
This sensor has more megapixels than the one on the S7. The S7 sensor is undoubtedly more capable, however.
Any chance that ZTE will release a software update just to fix the camera issues?
Love these in depth reviews of smartphone cameras! I have not seen any other camera reviews with such consistency and detailed information! Thanks to you guys it convinced me that the Axon 7's camera is decent enough for a purchase!
Comparing this to HTC 10 & LG V10 which one is better please !?
Juan, your camera reviews are stupendously good!
Glad you enjoyed it :-)
Nice one.... I've been waiting for your review about this camera before I decided whether to buy this phone or not
Happy to finally deliver one :-)
compared to the op3 which is better? especially on low light
Can this shoot video 1080p at 60fps?
Yes.
Wow thx for replying!!! The review was great and helped me to choose the iPhone SE over the ate axon 7
great camera review! looking forward to the full review from you. keep up the great work
agreed
Glad you both enjoyed it!
Dear Juan. What pen do you use for the smartphone videos?
WHICH is better in overall software between zuk z2 pro and axon 7? they have almost at the same price range...kindly focus on speed and camera. tnx bro!
Nice video. Do you think that the camera performance will be improved by software update?
There's always room for a little improvement.
please tell me which is better zte axon 7 or oneplus 3. i have seen your op3 review but in all aspect which is better one.
which is better ....zte axon 7 camera or lg v20 cameras
Am I the only one to hear "megapickle" @0:30 / 6:56 ? :D Never mind that - the review was good and I love the show :) Keep them coming mate :)
:-)
with which you stay ZTE Axon 7 or OnePlus 3?
should I get the Axon 7 or the Huawei - Honor 8 ?
Simply amazing to see what you can get for $400 these days. It may not be the absolute best camera out there, but for $400, it's actually pretty decent, considering that some compromises have to be made to get to that price point.
It's a STONKING GREAT camera for $400. We've gotten some great options this year.
Here's to more great options at this price point
D13H4RD2L1V3
I'll HAPPILY toast a fine bourbon to that :-)
please tell me more about the pen that you use it in your video
Now they are releasing the 3t competition update to axon 7s. lol. 6gig ram and the 821...Wow. Nice. I wonder if they will do anything else.
I swear he said mega-pickle twice
I swear you might be right!
hey pocketnow,can you maks a vid about rooting and installing custom roms (long explanation vid)
Just curious, was the tunnel from Bolsa Grande High School?
Juan if there is an update to the camera will you do a video about it? please
I won't cover it in as much depth, but we do TRY to comment on upgrades and updates.
As for your other questions, I'd say the Axon competes REALLY well with GS6 and LG G4, and if you're coming from an Idol 3 I think it would make for a nice upgrade. Certainly noticeable improvements to overall photos and video performance.
Juan is the axon 7 better or equal to the lg g4 or Samsung galaxy s6?
as a school dude on a budget ill get the axon 7 for its unbelivably low price because of how much it can do for its costs and i wont give a shit about the camera as long as it takes decent photos of the whiteboards in my school.
Naw you can do better than just whiteboards! Your homework is to take a picture of a classic car at sunset. Report back with your epic photo by end of semester.
JuanBagnell We'll see how good the picture will look like, I'll be our family car, the Volvo V50 from 2009.
alexdiezg
Nothing wrong with a little Swedish automotive photography! I miss my old Saab... That thing was great...
JuanBagnell I'm not disappointed by Volvo, they're incredible! I'm just curious how the photo will turn out.
Thanks for making my day, twice, with your replies. You're awesome!
alexdiezg
I expect to see an epic shot from you by the end of this next semester ;-)
Let me tell u something more megapickels! You increase noise in photos
Unless you can increase the sensor size, but yeah, I'd rather have lower resolution and better low light performance.
Having watched both your videos on the Axon 7, to me it seems as though the camera is its Achilles heal. Pity, I was almost persuaded this might be my next phone.
It's all about perspective. I think this is very good performance for $400. It trades blows well against the OP3, and I think it loses to the iPhone SE for image processing consistency, but then it comes with FOUR TIMES more storage and the ability to add more, so shooting UHD video is actually something you can do LOL.
this is the camera review i've been waiting for. thank u!
Juan I have an Alcatel idol 3 .
Is the axon 7 a good camera upgrade?
I'm being told it's a 20MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor with 1.12um pixels and 1/2.4" sensor size, likely one of the cameras Samsung prepared for the GS7 just in case, before it went with the 12MP sensor.
It's just odd. There is no 20MP ISOCELL listed by Samsung, and some have said that this is a 1/2.6" sensor. I hope they detail the actual specifications for us.
I sometimes wonder do they test their products before they release them because there's always so many compromises in terms of camera performance
Oh I know they do, but that's the issue we face is that at some point the manufacturer still needs to release a product. Sometimes a company can pick the right set of features to compromise on, sometimes they don't.
Which stylus are you using in this video?
Stilopen
Will your camera review come out before the Note 7 does? If not will your normal review be out then, or just first impressions?
I'm not sure what the time table will be on the Note 7.
Thank you very much for this review! It was very informative.
The bluring during camera movements as well as still image shaking is just awful for any sort of video capturing. 1+3 offers way better video capturing performance
looks like the budget was cut on the camera development. but overall still a pretty impressive phone
How does the axon 7 camera compare with the One Plus 3's camera?
one plus 3 is much better
Axon 7 is much better
***** no I actually favor HTC lol just the OnePlus 3 is considerably worse than the Axon 7.
We have an OP3 real camera review. You can watch that and decide for yourself. We work really hard to try and use similar locations for our sample shots.
Screw that guy, he's too OP3 bias, blocks people who have criticisms and opinions, and keeps copying and pasting to share his video like a bot.
was this shot after the B07 update our still with the B06 update ?
Awesome review. Head and shoulders above the rest!
Thanks :-)
Thank you very much for this detailed review, it helped me a lot.
How is that stylus pen called? I want to buy one +Pocketnow
Any 60fps sample videos? 1080p60 that is
What touch pen are you using?
Though overall it's a good phone for the price, the camera and the underlying imaging software is definitely no more than $400. Thanks for the good review.
That's been the bummer. This year we've gotten some INCREDIBLE bargains from phones around that $400 price tag, but they are still $400 phones.
Random, but what stylus are you using?
Loved the video Juan Carlos!
Glad to hear it!
Would changing the camera software improve the camera? Like if I rooted my phone and used the google pixel's os, would things like image processing and image stabilization improve?
No. In fact, you might get a worse result as some who've rooted and flashed Cyanogen on theirs have found, since the manufacturer puts a lot of custom tweaks that work with their specific hardware into the camera software.
I would get the Axon 7 but, it's not Available in my country
; _ ;
i would get it too but in Europe the price is 450 euros, thats about 500 usd:(
You do realize that the european price is almost the same as th US one ?
In the US you have to add taxes to the price, while in Europe, the +~21% VAT are already in the price...
If you do the math, you pay a little less than 15$ more in Europe.
djona12 no i didn't, thanks:) that's not how prices are getting introduced here. Now it seems like op3 is actually cheap in europe compared to US.
+djona12 No you dont.Not here in Sweden
Can you compare the camera & audio to htc 10 camera ??
OnePlus 3 or ZTE Axon 7?
thumbs up if you always watch till the end of every Juan-produced video for his blooper/extra scenes.
:-)
One does not simply watch a Juan video without going all the way to the end.
D13H4RD2L1V3
TRUTH! Though I kept it calm on this one. I just loved that last shot...
D13H4RD2L1V3 true this, no need to skip ahead. ACTUALLY you can't take your eyes off the video for fear of missing something important. no wasted minutes here.. helluva reviewer.
Nice review as always. A good camera overall and decent value for the price, but not a camera that can directly compete with the more expensive phones. If camera is very important to you, it seems you need to pay the extra $200-300 for a bigger flagship.
I like to say, there are diminishing returns in spending $200+ more, but there are still returns to be had.
JuanBagnell Agree, the mid range has gotten so good that it's hard to justify spending the extra couple hundred. But if you can afford it, then it's probably worth it to get the better camera and better long term support (it'll be interesting to see how well this phone is supported for updates, ZTE doesn't have a great track record).
Nikka M
That's what I'm ALWAYS curious about. I can easily get support for a Samsung in the USA. Seems a bit trickier supporting other manufacturers...
Pre-ordered first day. Disappointed about the no RAW capture :(
Yeah that bummed me out too. A ZTE rep said they might be able to add it in a future update, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
I did not understand 99% of the terminology you used but what I did understand I liked (-: