ZTE has released a new Premium version of the Axon Mini which supports its own version of Force Touch. Will the force be strong with this one?
You may remember a few issues ago when we reviewed the ZTE Axon Elite and gave it a pretty glowing four-star review. Well, this time around we have its little brother, the Axon Mini Premium version, which on first appearance you could confuse for the same device. At only £229.99, it has got itself firmly placed in the lower end of the mid-range market and has a good feature-set to match. With the inclusion of unique features such as ‘Force Touch’, the Premium version stands out even further as a handset that has the potential to be a little disruptive. Trouble is, will the feature just amount to a gimmick? Let’s find out.
Design
The design is no different to its bigger brother, right down to the tiny details. As such, a lot of this is going to feel like regurgitation. Overall build quality is decent, with a gold metal finish and machine cut geometric grilles flanking either side of the screen.
In terms of size, the Axon Mini is a little different to the Elite and arguably more comfortable to hold. At 144 x 70, it’s exactly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S6 which we could argue is the perfect size. The two grilles seem much smaller this time round and the home button has been removed, making the device much less taller and more compact.
Camera
With a 13 megapixel camera sensor, the Axon Mini camera is identical to the Axon Elite aside from the omission of the additional 2 megapixel Omni Vision sensor. This as confirmed by one of the PR representatives who agreed with us after we noticed the images were strikingly similar. In fact, image quality was so alike that there’s really very little to mention here. Colour reproduction was natural, though picture processing was perhaps a touch aggressive on close inspection. Low-light is acceptable, though it can’t match flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and LG G4.
We’re also happy to see the Axon Mini carries across the same excellent camera application found on the Elite. That means a full suite of manual features and some unique modes, which overlay and filter various snaps for striking effects. 4K video is expectedly absent in this model, as is optical image stabilisation. The 8 megapixel front camera from the Elite is also here as well, which was a strong performer in the previous review.
Screen
The ZTE Axon Mini has a 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080 panel which equates to 423ppi, a high number that’s way above the printing standard. Colour reproduction is generally excellent across the board and after software calibration, very little changes from the original image, which is excellent. Brightness of the panel is very good and even exceeds that found on the S6.
Performance
Performance on the Axon Mini is about what you’d expect, meaning it is powerful enough for most tasks but never really excels either. UI navigation and app switching are both quick and seamless, with little lag between transitions. During our Geekbench 3 testing, we averaged a score of 3217 for multi-core and 712 for single-core over five separate tests. This puts it on same level as the HTC One A9, which uses a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 617.
Gaming was a solid affair, with some bottlenecking seeming to take place after long sessions. On the whole, things were pretty good most of the time but towards the mid-point of our gaming test we did notice the device becoming a bit on the toasty side.
The ‘Premium’ moniker attached to this version of the Axon Mini is justifiably done so because of the inclusion of ‘Force Touch’, which is coincidentally the same name Apple called its version of the technology. Unsurprisingly, it works just the same as on the iPhone 6s, with heavy presses bringing up additional menu’s and options. That said, the MiFavor software doesn’t feel as ready for this feature as iOS does and it is the same with the applications. There’s only a handful that currently offer the functionality and until the feature becomes more widespread in other devices, we can’t see that changing.
Software
We’re in familiar territory once again, as the software on the Axon Mini is Lollipop 5.0.2 with that garish MiFavor overlay. That means no app tray and a pretty ugly looking UI. However, the novelty features such as a resizable keyboard and emoticon trays are still all here for quick access, while pressing the rightmost button brings up quick-functions for the overall theme and design.
A standout feature of the Axon Elite was Iris scanning, which functioned similar to Windows Hello (though not quite as fluently). It has been carried across to the Axon Mini as well, which is pretty impressive for a budget device. The software is identical, simply asking you to place your eyes within a certain area of the screen while it scans them. The Axon Mini has the same bundled bloatware as the Elite.
Battery
The battery on the Axon Mini is an impressive 2800mAh, which is pretty decent for a 5.2-inch device. Playing Asphalt 8 for an entire hour drained the battery by around 25%, which is a good score though not as impressive as the Elite. Like its bigger brother, ZTE has included Quick Charge 2.0 technology, which allows the handset to reach 60% battery capacity in just 30 minutes. The battery is indeed non-removable, meaning those going on long trips should definitely consider investing in a powerbank.
Conclusion
It looks identical to the Elite and performs much the same as well, until you get to the gaming side of things. All in all, this is a very cost effective handset with solid battery life and a few bells and whistles such as Force Touch thrown in.
Verdict
A worthy little brother to the Axon Elite, the Mini might suffer from a few performance woes while gaming but makes up for it with a lot of features at an attractive price and one that is unique to this device specifically.
Spec
OS Android 5.1.1
Processor 1.5GHz octa-core Snapdragon 616
Screen 5.2 inches
Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels (424ppi)
Memory 3GB
Storage 32GB
MicrosD compatible? No
Rear camera 13MP
Front camera 8MP
Video 1080p
Connectivity Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Dimensions 144 x 70 x 8 mm
Weight 140g
Battery 2,800mAh