5G review of ZTE Axon 20: Is the under-screen camera the future?

 

Quick verdict:

As an obscure brand in the West, it may be an outlier, but this ZTE is a nod to the future, demonstrating a compelling under-screen camera, while providing a long-lasting and ample output in a reasonably inexpensive package. It's in the specifics that it often misses the mark - autobrightness modification, frame-like screen bezel, and so-so cameras overall.

For

Under-screen camera ensures that the screen is interrupted by no notch or punch-hole

Decent battery life and total output capacity

Software, like some rivals, does not interrupt experience.

Inexpensive selling point

 Against

The love of AutoBrightness for dimming is jarring

The under-screen camera is not invisible in that area - it disturbs visual fidelity

There are very average cameras

The frame bezel detracts somewhat from the very point of the under-screen camera.

(Pocket-lint) - When it comes to selfie cameras, phone makers have been getting creative. We got the notch, the punch-hole and the pop-up. Now it's the turn of the under-display camera to introduce the ZTE Axon 20 5G as the first phone with such a design on the market (despite Oppo showing off the technology first).

We hear you say, "ZTE?" Yep, in recent years, the tech giant has been floating around in the peripheries, launching several phones - but they've scarcely been readily available to buy outside of their native China. Therefore, thanks to that camera, the Axon 20 5G is not only a first from a technical point of view, but a renewed drive for the business to cater to a wider audience.

Design & Display

• 6.92-inch OLED 'True Full' display
  • 1080 x 2460 resolution 
  • Under-display camera 
  • 90Hz refresh rate
• Dimensions: 172 x 78 x 8mm / Weight: 198g
• Glass front & rear, aluminium frame
• Finishes: Black, Gold, Blue, Purple
• Under-display fingerprint scanner

On the face of it, one of the most exciting phones to be launched in 2020 is the ZTE Axon 20 5G. For some time now, the very idea of an under-display camera has been talked about by the city, but it was not anticipated that a lesser-known brand in the West would lead the charge.

The thing is, the Axon 20 5G isn't a flagship handset, actually. It has a middle-spec overall and a specification that does not really benefit the existence of the under-display camera to its fullest extent in certain respects.

For instance, take the flat screen's side bezel. Here, we're not claiming it's mega-bezel by any way, but it makes the screen appear fuller when curved-screen devices help to mask the visible existence of the black border from the line of sight.

The Axon 20 5G might well have its selfie camera concealed under the panel, but it is the bezel of the entire screen that gives a boxed-in and 'framed' look to the screen, so it has a lower screen-to-body ratio compared to many devices with a punch-hole camera notch. That takes away somewhat of the under-screen camera's potential.

Nonetheless, you would initially think that there is no camera under that screen at all in the dark of winter in the UK (where we're sitting reviewing this device). It's tucked away convincingly, which is something of a revelation. However, closer inspection reveals that you can see the lens underneath - for example, if any light catches the screen, it can seem less accomplished on brighter days.

In addition, while images overlay where the selfie camera lives effectively, they are partially disrupted, almost as if transformed into some old 16-bit image (scroll through the gallery above to see close-ups). The resolution in the oblong region surrounding the camera is lower. To care about it, you'll need to look pretty close, though, but open a full-screen game and you'll see a criss-cross effect over the tiny region of the camera.

However, most applications and user interfaces do not use the top center portion of a screen provided the phone design (or fullest side section, if in landscape orientation). This camera area will therefore be blacked out most of the time anyway, and you can more or less forget that it's even there. Particularly because it's difficult to see without really eyeballing it up close here.

Although there are changes that could arise in future versions, the secret under-screen camera of the Axon 20 5G is compelling as a first attempt, with the highlighted caveats above being part and parcel of such an implementation.

Otherwise, the architecture of the Axon 20 5G is normally harmless. When there is such a normal format these days, it is easy to become blasé about phone design. Chunky rear camera unit with disproportionate lens numbers? Only search. An almost magnetic glass rear for fingerprint smears? Only search. No 3.5mm headphone jack, a single base mic, a branding smattering with the product name (unnecessarily) included? Checking, checking, checking.

The Axon 20's finish, however, has this almost rippling-like way of capturing the light from the right angle, as you can see in our pictures. It rarely looks to the eyes as much as this, but nevertheless it is a cool effect.

Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, 8GB RAM
• Android 10 operating system, MiFavor 10.5 re-skin
• 4,220mAh battery capacity, 30W fast-charge 
• Liquid Cooling with carbon nanofiber
• 128GB storage, microSD expansion
• 5G connectivity

The Axon 20 5G is not targeted at toppling flagships with best-in-class interiors, as we said above. The strategy of this phone is to introduce new technology to the mid-range, competing with other phones using the Snapdragon 765 Qualcomm platform.

However, in fact, this step-down Qualcomm platform is a major success. As and when you're in a network area, it caters for 5G (the Axon 20 has specific controls to disable this if you prefer, for the sake of battery savings). We've had zero issues playing South Park: Phone Destroyer - it's more than capable of performing a plethora of activities, like gaming to a reasonably high stage.

Indeed, from LG with the Velvet to Vivo with the X51, the use of the 700-series platform is something many phone manufacturers are opting for. With strong battery innings, both of which have proven to bring in good results. A comparable suit follows the ZTE, capable across the board and long-lasting too. The 4,220mAh battery is capacious enough to quickly crunch through a day - over a 14-hour cycle, we've used about 50 percent, so it's similar to a two-dayer.

That said, when it comes to trying to save the battery, ZTE's MiFavor user interface (UI), which is designed over the top of Google's Android 10 operating system, is not half excessive. The autobrightness is obsessed with apparently trying to make you believe you've been blind, excessively dimming the screen levels under any circumstances-we've always been annoyed with manually changing it over and over again. The screen at these lower intensity levels often suffers from 'black crush'.

However, the programme is not otherwise destructive, as with the systems of some rivals. With the absence of Android soft-keys taking up the bottom row, MiFavor has swipe controls which are a little finicky, but help to give the screen more real-estate. For example, there is no duplication of app stores as you would find on a Xiaomi phone, as ZTE is just a Google Play Store. When you're installing an update, there are no advertisements that aim to advertise other games. In general, there's no fuss at all, mostly with Android-like experience.

If you choose to trigger face unlock, or there is an effective under-display fingerprint scanner, Sign-in also benefits from the under-screen selfie camera. It's a fairly fluid experience, one that the overzealous autobrightness change is massively let down.

Cameras

• Rear 'quad camera' setup:
  
  • Main: 64-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.72in sensor size
  • Wide (120 degrees): 8MP, f/2.2
  • Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
  • Depth: 2MP, f/2.4
• Selfie under-screen camera:
• 32-megapixel, f/2.0 aperture

We've covered up the selfie camera in more detail, but no doubt you're going to wonder just what the output is like because it can "see" through a mirror.

A reply: not that nice. In order to achieve improved efficiency, this 32-megapixel optic does not use multi-pixel processing, as there is quite a lot of grain even in daylight, particularly in shadow regions. The photos are far bigger than you'll need too, though shot-to-shot colour quality tends to vary - with a greener balance often raising its head.

However, pop it into Portrait mode, and the camera scales things down (for some reason, to 5-megapixels), incorporating the over-soft background blur and, well, making it look soft and blurry.

So while ZTE gets a selfie camera under a monitor first, its outcomes are not a revelation.

What about the rear of the main camera unit? It's a bit of a mixed bag here. For no real reason, there is a trend in 2020 to lump a bunch of cameras together: there is a 2MP depth sensor here that is not required; a 2MP macro camera that is low resolution and can not autofocus and is difficult to use; and an 8MP wide-angle camera that is of sub-par quality compared to what else is on the market.

It's the primary 64-megapixel sensor that steps in to somehow save things. Keep your eyes on this one, since it uses four-in-one pixel processing to produce 16MP shots as normal, and there are some pretty good results. There's still some grain and fidelity is not class-leading, but you'll be able to get shots with ample detail and balance with a steady hand. In low-light settings, even the night mode functions well.

The ZTE is not the only culprit overselling its cameras, it appears to be the 2020 flavour. Stick with the main rear optic and at this price point, you'll be really pleased, it provides what is required. However, the addition of deep, macro and wide-angle cameras brings disappointment. And the selfie camera should be more proficient rather than high-resolution, since the selfie camera is the key point in the life of this phone.

VerdictThe ZTE Axon 20 5G demonstrates that the future will be with under-screen cameras. But it also shows that details matter - and the selfie camera here should be of better quality to demonstrate the very nature of the first point of this handset. The rear cameras failed to reach the overall target, too.Elsewhere, we think the design does not properly illustrate the hidden camera appeal; a curved screen with an almost transparent bezel will bring the point to the fore even more than this flat screen and surrounding dark bezel.However, as a day-to-day phone, we've found ZTE's software to be humble in its approach to Android, meaning it doesn't have outwardly busy things like some rivals like to do. However, its key problem is the overzealous autobrightness that descends in all situations into darkness unlike any other phone we have used this year.As a little-known brand in the West, it may be an outlier, but the ZTE Axon 20 5G shows its value, while delivering a long-lasting and ample output in a reasonably affordable way.

Also consider

Google Pixel 4a 5G

On computer imaging, Google goes fine, but the results are great - and there's not an abundance of unwarranted cameras to be found here. Yes, rather than an under-display camera, there is a punch-hole. And no, the life of the battery is not as strong as ZTE. But we think it's one of the best 5G phones in and around this budget as a rounded bundle - one that's a little smaller than the ZTE too.