ZTE Axon 20 5G review

Introduction

The ZTE Axon family has a long-standing history of industry firsts. Now, they bring us the world's first commercially available device with an under-display selfie camera, the Axon 20 5G. That's something we've been waiting ever since the first notched phones arrived.

One would expect that such a breakthrough feature will be paired with top-notch hardware. However, ZTE wants to play it safe this time around, and the under-display camera has been coupled with a mixture of high-end and midrange hardware. But the main selling point here is clearly the display. If you are making rid of the cutouts, it only makes sense to use a proper display as well.

ZTE Axon 20 5G specs at a glance:

• Body: 172.1x77.9x8.0mm, 198g; Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame.
• Display: 6.92" OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz, 1080x2460px resolution, 20.5:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm): Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver); Adreno 620.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot, up to 2TB).
• OS/Software: Android 10, MiFavor 10.5.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f/1.8, 25mm, 1/1.72", 0.8µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 16mm; Macro: 2 MP, f/2.4; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, (wide), under display.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS, HDR, 10‑bit video; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4220mAh; Fast charging 30W, Quick Charge 4+.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Sound on Display, under-display selfie camera; only 8GB/128GB available in Europe.

The full-screen panel checks all the boxes - HRR up to 90Hz, HDR support, OLED, and 10-bit color depth. And it's actually one of the biggest in town too. The display measures 6.92" in diagonal, making the phone a bit unwieldy even for users with average-sized hands.

The mid-range part about this phone, though, is the chipset. The Snapdragon 765G offers 5G connectivity and more-than-adequate performance, and it is paired with 128GB of internal storage as a base configuration. The camera setup also leaves something to be desired as it doesn't offer a telephoto camera, and the ultra-wide unit is just 8MP. Also, no stereo speakers.

So is this the typical first-gen product with its own quirks that need fixing, and people will pay the price of early adoption, or there's a lot more to it than a huge, cutout-less screen? We'll see.

Unboxing the ZTE Axon 20 5G

The handset comes inside a standard box containing the appropriate charger with the USB-A to USB-C cable used for charging and data transfer. As a bonus, ZTE has included a transparent silicone case and a 3.5mm to USB-C dongle since the phone doesn't have a headphone jack.