Review ZTE Grand X Pro Smartphone

ZTE's Grand X Pro comes in a high-quality looking casing devoid of thrills. Its back is dark-gray plastic, the front features a black display frame and a chrome-colored bezel is between that on the sides. Like Samsung's cellphones, the back can be removed and is quite slip-proof. Its only keys are a standby button on the top and a volume rocker on the right. The manufacturer even omits the usual physical buttons below the screen. They have simply been moved to the screen, which naturally lessens the surface area for other contents.

The build is decent in so far as the gaps between the single materials are flush and no palpable edges are noticed. The stability is also basically acceptable but the smartphone can be twisted which causes light waves in the liquid crystals on the screen. These waves also become visible when light pressure is applied to the screen. This effect does not occur in other smartphones even when higher pressure is applied. The touchscreen should thus be handled with care.

Communication & GPS

Support for various frequencies and fast Wi-Fi are a must in a modern smartphone. ZTE's Grand X Pro features GSM tri-band and UMTS dual-band as well as HSPA support. Even Bluetooth 4.0 is on board. The Wi-Fi module supports wireless networks that comply with 802.11 b/g/n standards.

However, the Wi-Fi module does not have a far range. Sometimes only three out of four signal bars were displayed even in the router's direct vicinity. A distance of ten meters and two walls between the router and phone reduced this to only two bars, so half the strength. This also affected internet speed. Websites loaded much slower. Another two meters and an additional wall between the phone and the router decreased the signal strength to only one bar.

We could not coax the installed GPS module to set up a satellite connection in our test. A signal was not found even on a clear day in an open field.

The virtual keyboard is not Google's default model but a version dubbed "TouchPal". Although the keys are slightly smaller, it enables quick access to alternative input methods. For example, speech input or "Curve" where the user strokes over the keyboard instead of tapping.

It is also possible for the user to access many special keys for internet applications or a function that facilitates highlighting texts. It is generally a comprehensive keyboard app. However, users who want large letter keys should look for an alternative. The touchscreen works reliably and even using the screen's edge is a pleasant matter.

ZTE's Grand X Pro is usable outdoors due to its decent brightness. However, the eyes are often strained in bright sunlight because of the reflective screen. No problems occur when the phone is used in the shade or in bright rooms.

It was noticed in the excellent TFT screen of HTC's One that TFT technology has advanced greatly in the past years. ZTE's Grand X Pro also features such a TFT screen and thus offers an equally good viewing angle stability as IPS or AMOLED screens. Pictures can be viewed from very acute angles without losing contrast.

The ZTE Grand X Pro only achieved low scores in the graphics calculations of the synthetic benchmarks. This was confirmed in games. Minor stutters were the order of the day in the fast race game Real Racing 3. Nor did the action game Zombiewood run perfectly smooth. Also, some games like Iron Man 3 absolutely refused to run on the smartphone. However, navigating via touchscreen and position sensor worked very accurately.

This is basically a below-average performance that ZTE's Grand X Pro delivered in Performance. The higher clocked processor can only provide minor speed advantages; 3D and browser power are below average. Although it is still possible to work properly with this phone, users who want speed will find other alternatives in this price range, for example Sony's Xperia L.