ZTE Axon 11 Smartphone Review: Cheap even with a 48-MP Quad Camera
In the price range between 300 and 400 Euros (~$353 and $471), prospective buyers can find an extremely wide selection of smartphone models. While users can figure out the size of a device quite reliably from the manufacturer's specification, a specification cannot be used to assess the system and camera performance quite so easily. That said, ZTE claims that the images of the quad-camera system of the Axon 11 are "lifelike" and promises a smooth operating system.
Our review shows whether these promises are met and how the Android smartphone performs in comparison with the competing devices listed below. You can also add additional smartphones from our database for further comparison in every section.
Comparison Devices
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80.2 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2020 | ZTE Axon 11 Helio P70, Mali-G72 MP3 | 165 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.47" | 2340x1080 | |
| 87.8 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2020 | Xiaomi Mi 10 SD 865, Adreno 650 | 208 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2340x1080 | |
| 77.2 % v7 (old) | 08 / 2020 | Motorola Moto G Pro SD 665, Adreno 610 | 192 g | 128 GB eMMC Flash | 6.40" | 2300x1080 | |
| 82.3 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2020 | Oppo Find X2 Lite SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 180 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.40" | 2400x1080 |
Case - Light mid-range smartphone
Even though it has a diagonal display size of 6.47 inches, the ZTE Axon 11 is an extremely slim and light smartphone. The metal frame makes it very robust, and the clean transitions between frame materials give the device a high quality appearance. Despite having four lenses, the camera hump looks quite discreet and tidy on the back. The fingerprint sensor is in the display, which takes up the entire front and has a notch.
Features - No headphone jack on the ZTE Axon 11
ZTE installed a MediaTek Helio P70 in the Axon 11 alongside the integrated GPU ARM Mali-G72 MP3, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory. According to the manufacturer, the latter can be expanded up to 2 TB with a microSD card, although this will take up the second nanoSIM slot. LTE, Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE are supported on both nanoSIM slots.
Users have to do without a notification LED and DRM Widevine L1. A 3.5 mm headset connection is also not available, and the Camera2 API has limited availability.
Software - A modern Android system
With the Axon 11, users can see ZTE's own Mi Favor UI, which is based on Android 10. Its structure is strongly reminiscent of a pure Android OS, which means that users will quickly find their way around the menus. The preinstalled apps include applications such as BestWeather, CleanMaster, and WPS Office, which can all be uninstalled. Applications developed by the manufacturer, such as ZTE Cares, through which support and status information of the smartphone can be retrieved, can only be deactivated.
When the ZTE smartphone was first released, the security patches were up to date as of May 5, 2020. At the time of the test, though, updates were already available, which brought them up to date as of July 5, 2020.
Communication and GPS - Axon 11 offers dual SIM with 4G
The ZTE Axon 11 can establish cellular connections on GSM, 3G, and LTE networks. With LTE Cat. 7, download speeds of up to 300 Mb/s and upload rates of up to 100 Mb/s are possible. At close range, the Android smartphone supports NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, and Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).
With our reference router Netgear Nighthawk AX12, the ZTE Axon 11 achieves WLAN speeds of an average download rate of 334 Mb/s and an average upload rate of 308 Mb/s. With those results, it fits right into the middle of our test field.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
Users of the Axon 11 can use GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, and GLONASS to determine their own location. With the GPS Test app, we can achieve an accuracy of up to three meters outdoors, but it wasn't possible to use geolocation systems indoors.
On our mandatory bike tour, we compared the ZTE Axon 11 with our reference device, the Garmin Edge 500. The Android smartphone deviated significantly from the bike computer on both long straights and curves.
Telephone functionality and speaking audio quality
The telephone app of the Axon 11 allows users to directly view their saved favorites and quickly display a numeric keypad. There are also additional tabs for call lists and saved contacts. During conversation, the ZTE smartphone does well; it has good volume and clearly transmits speech. Additional background noises are also filtered out well.
Cameras - Good colors and strong front camera
ZTE has equipped the Axon 11 with a quad-camera system on the back. This offers a 48 MP main sensor, an 8 MP sensor for ultra-wide-angle shots, and two 2 MP sensors for depth information and bokeh effects. The front camera enables portraits to be taken with a 20 MP sensor that reproduces many details and strong colors. Users can also influence the image quality via an embellishment mode, various color filters, and optional HDR.
Pictures taken with the main camera are also detailed and have strong colors, although the colors appear a bit too dark. Shots taken of our test scene with the 5x zoom are blurred and have clearly paler colors. On the ultra-wide-angle test photo, colors appear a little stronger but are not particularly well defined. Areas sometimes look a bit muddy, and at low zoom levels, there is clear image noise in dark areas. Our low-light scene was just barely recognizable. Colors look very dark, and object edges are only vaguely visible. The Super Night mode can help with this, but it requires a very steady hand to work. The image result can also be influenced via manual mode, which allows users to set the ISO, brightness, and white-balance; users can also set a timer.
The video function delivers a picture quality similar to that seen in our test photographs. The camera can quickly compensate for rapid changes between light and dark scenes. In addition, an image stabilizer creates a less shaky shot. Users can switch the video resolution in the settings menu between 1080P, 720P and MMS. However, a high frame-rate mode or something similar is not available.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraZoom (5x)Ultra-wide-angleLow light
Our photo of the ColorChecker Passport certifies that the camera of the ZTE Axon 11 has relatively small color deviations in its photos. Browns are a little too light, and reds are too dark. The test chart is also reproduced with a lot of detail and strong colors under controlled lighting conditions. In the lower corners, though, there is a slight paleness.
Accessories and warranty - Protective sleeve and headset included
The ZTE Axon 11 comes with a USB plug-in power supply with a suitable USB Type-C cable, a protective sleeve made of silicone, and a 3.5 mm jack headset alongside a suitable 3.5 mm to USB Type-C adapter.
ZTE gives buyers of the Axon 11 a warranty period of 24 months.
Input devices & operation - Fingerprint sensor in the ZTE smartphone
ZTE uses the GBoard app for text input, which can be adapted in many ways. When typing, the touchscreen responds effectively to inputs, and the relatively smooth surface means that drag-and-drop movements are also easy. The tilt sensor also quickly adjusts the orientation of the screen relative to the position of the phone.
To unlock the smartphone, users can use the in-screen fingerprint sensor, but this did not work very reliably in our test. On the other hand, facial recognition worked much better, which can even react to an authorized user without requiring them to press the power button.
Display - AMOLED with good brightness
The screen of the ZTE Axon 11 is a 6.47-inch AMOLED panel and has a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels. The average brightness is 614 cd/m² with a very good brightness distribution of 98%. If the ambient light sensor is deactivated, the maximum brightness drops to 475 cd/m². We measured 677 cd/m² in the APL50 test.
Our measurements also show that the screen of the ZTE Axon 11 flickers in a frequency range between 123.8 and 250 Hz when the brightness is under 99%.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 610 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 3.9 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
99.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.21
| ZTE Axon 11 AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.5" | Xiaomi Mi 10 Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | Motorola Moto G Pro IPS, 2300x1080, 6.4" | Oppo Find X2 Lite OLED, 2400x1080, 6.4" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 43% | -11% | -11% | |
| Brightness middle | 610 | 786 29% | 735 20% | 638 5% |
| Brightness | 614 | 791 29% | 732 19% | 633 3% |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 96 -2% | 97 -1% | 95 -3% |
| Black Level * | 0.5 | |||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.8 | 1.1 77% | 5.84 -22% | 5.6 -17% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.7 | 2.2 71% | 10.2 -32% | 8.9 -16% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.9 | 1.8 54% | 5.9 -51% | 5.3 -36% |
| Gamma | 2.21 100% | 2.26 97% | 2.342 94% | 2.25 98% |
| CCT | 7122 91% | 6315 103% | 7897 82% | 7118 91% |
| Contrast | 1470 |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 250 Hz | ≤ 99 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 250 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 250 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8488 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
As is typical for OLEDs, the screen of the Axon 11 also shows an immeasurable contrast ratio and a black value of 0.0 cd/m². This distinguishes colors very well from each other, and black picture content appears deep and rich. The CalMAN analysis also certifies that the panel has a slight bluish tint, but users can compensate for this using a freely adjustable color temperature scale.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1.6 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 13 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 12 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.5 ms). | ||
Outdoors, content can be easily read from the ZTE Axon 11 display. In direct sunlight, however, distracting reflections can occur and make this difficult.
The screen of the Axon 11 has fairly good viewing angles. From very steep angles, though, there is a visible green hue, which is typical for OLED panels.
Performance - Sufficient for everyday use
ZTE installed a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC in the Axon 11, which was an upper mid-range CPU about a year ago. In our benchmark tests, the Android smartphone achieves solid system performance; it has the second-best PCMark performance in our test field. However, its results are significantly lower in graphics-heavy benchmarks. Here, the ZTE Axon 11 usually occupies the last or penultimate place in our test field, sometimes swapping places with the Motorola Moto G Pro.
| PCMark for Android | |
| Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (7160 - 11781, n=10) | |
| Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (5992 - 8365, n=12) | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
| T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (29 - 46, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (23 - 166, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (34 - 43, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 791, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (16 - 35, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15 - 166, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (18 - 23, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (12 - 502, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (10 - 25, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.9 - 166, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (6.9 - 14, n=8) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.3 - 365, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (167477 - 183710, n=3) | |
The ZTE Axon 11 achieved the lowest results in our test field in the browser benchmarks. In everyday life, however, smooth browsing is possible without any problems, and media content is loaded relatively quickly.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro (Chrome 83.0.4103.106) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (34.3 - 50.2, n=7) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 (Chrome 84) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=76, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite (Chrome 83) | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro (Chrome 83.0.4103.106) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 (Chrome 84) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (35 - 55, n=8) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=212, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite (Chrome 83) | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro (Chrome 83.0.4103.106) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (6269 - 9863, n=8) | |
| ZTE Axon 11 (Chrome 84) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| ZTE Axon 11 (Chrome 84) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio P70 (4198 - 5659, n=8) | |
| Motorola Moto G Pro (Chrome 83.0.4103.106) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Lite (Chrome 83) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=171, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The ZTE Axon 11 is equipped with 128 GB of memory, of which users can freely use 117 GB. The Android smartphone achieves relatively low write and read rates in our memory benchmark.
According to the manufacturer, users can use up to a 2 TB microSD card to expand the internal memory. With our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference memory card, the Axon 11 card reader achieves good speeds on average.
| ZTE Axon 11 | Xiaomi Mi 10 | Motorola Moto G Pro | Oppo Find X2 Lite | Average 128 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 335% | 26% | 196% | 11% | 589% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 309.9 | 1498 383% | 294.1 -5% | 910 194% | 294 ? -5% | 2032 ? 556% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 257.9 | 680 164% | 233.6 -9% | 475.2 84% | 195.8 ? -24% | 1649 ? 539% |
| Random Read 4KB | 81.2 | 207 155% | 65.5 -19% | 169.4 109% | 83.9 ? 3% | 283 ? 249% |
| Random Write 4KB | 29.32 | 215.9 636% | 89.4 205% | 146.1 398% | 56.7 ? 93% | 326 ? 1012% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 78.9 ? | 73.4 ? -7% | 78.1 ? -1% | |||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 62.6 ? | 55.9 ? -11% | 61.8 ? -1% |
Games - Suitable for many titles
In the ZTE Axon 11, the integrated graphics unit ARM Mali-G72 MP3 is responsible for displaying image content. This can run the titles we tested, Asphalt 9: Legends and PUBG Mobile, smoothly on medium graphics levels. At maximum details or high resolutions, however, the frame rate sometimes drops.
The games could be easily controlled with the touchscreen, and the position sensor also reacted reliably to smartphone movements.
Emissions - Smartphone speakers with wide sound
Temperature
In our test, the ZTE Axon 11 heats up to a maximum of 36.4 °C under load. It only gets warm, so it can easily be held in your hand at any time.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.4 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.4 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.7 °C / 76 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The ZTE Axon 11 uses the integrated loudspeaker for the playback of media content without the support of the earbuds. This offers a relatively high volume and a wide sound with dominant higher tones. This means that both music and speech can be played occasionally, but in the long run, users should rely on external speakers or headphones.
ZTE Axon 11 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 8.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 47% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 65% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 30% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery life - Ten hours when using Wi-Fi
Energy consumption
The ZTE Axon 11 shows the lowest energy consumption in our test field both on average and under maximum load. The supplied USB plug-in power supply has an output power of up to 18 watts and is therefore sufficiently large enough to ensure a consistent power supply.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.14 Watt |
| Idle |  0.8 / 1.71 / 1.75 Watt |
| Load |
2.29 / 4.99 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| ZTE Axon 11 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | Motorola Moto G Pro 4000 mAh | Oppo Find X2 Lite 4025 mAh | Average Mediatek Helio P70 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -17% | -63% | -27% | -22% | -59% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.8 | 0.53 34% | 1.6 -100% | 0.75 6% | 0.801 ? -0% | 0.875 ? -9% |
| Idle Average * | 1.71 | 1.46 15% | 2.3 -35% | 2.55 -49% | 1.739 ? -2% | 1.441 ? 16% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.75 | 1.52 13% | 2.8 -60% | 2.58 -47% | 2.06 ? -18% | 1.584 ? 9% |
| Load Average * | 2.29 | 3.83 -67% | 4.2 -83% | 3.21 -40% | 3.59 ? -57% | 6.97 ? -204% |
| Load Maximum * | 4.99 | 8.89 -78% | 6.9 -38% | 5.29 -6% | 6.65 ? -33% | 10.4 ? -108% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery life
In our practical WLAN test, the ZTE Axon 11 achieved a runtime of around 10 hours. It does not last as long as the Motorola Moto G Pro, which achieves a significantly higher runtime with a similar battery capacity.
With the included quick charger, the Axon 11 can be fully charged after approximately one-and-a-half hours.
| ZTE Axon 11 4000 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | Motorola Moto G Pro 4000 mAh | Oppo Find X2 Lite 4025 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 9% | 31% | 20% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 606 | 662 9% | 792 31% | 728 20% |
| H.264 | 1126 | 882 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Cheap and suitable for everyday use
The ZTE Axon 11 is a visually appealing and slim smartphone that offers enough performance for everyday tasks. Users get performance that is consistent with a mid-range smartphone. The OLED display is a positive because it provides high brightness and rich colors.
The ZTE Axon 11 combines OLED and mid-range hardware. The battery life could be better.
Last but not least, the Axon 11 owes its slim design to an appropriately sized battery, which at 4,000 mAh is not too small. With a runtime of around 10 hours when using WLAN, it does not last as long as some competitors. Since the model of the Axon 11 we tested is equipped with 4G, it will still be usable in Germany for a while. But if you want to jump straight to 5G, you can also use the ZTE Axon 11 5G. However, that costs almost double and, despite the same name, is a fundamentally different phone.
ZTE Axon 11
- 08/31/2022 v7 (old)
Mike Wobker
Price comparison
