ZTE Blade A2 released for $100 with PDAF and fingerprint scanner


zte blade a2

ZTE’s latest budget phone costs from as little as $100 with features we would normally see on much more expensive handsets!

Nowhere else do we see hardware come to phones at lower pricing faster than the Chinese tech market, and ZTE’s latest really stands out as a feature packed budget contender.

Generally when we think of good pricing and decent specs we think of phones from Xiaomi, Meizu and Lenovo, but now ZTE are getting in on the action in a big way with the new Blade A2.

Available in 2 versions, the basic 599 Yuan ZTE Blade A2 has features which would have been considered flagship just last year! Highlight of the phone include a 2.5D glass display, 13 mega-pixel PDAF rear camera, and a rear fingerprint scanner.

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zte blade a2

Keeping costs down ZTE have kept RAM to 2GB, internal memory at 16GB, the screen size and resolution to 5-inch @ 720p, a built in battery of 2500mAh and Mediatek MT6752 chipset (which is actually a good one).

The basic version of the phone will work on China Mobile and Unicom networks in China while the slightly more expensive 699 Yuan phone will work on all Chinese phone networks.

The ZTE Blade A2 just launched today, but will be on sale in China through JD.com.

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60 Comments

  1. a
    June 6, 2016

    Mediatek are still producing the 6752?

      • Wolvie
        June 7, 2016

        Sorry for my stupidity, does it mean it is better or worse than MT6752 ?

        • Hakim Farouk
          June 7, 2016

          This chipset is pretty good actually even if it’s slightly outdated. The same as what Meizu m1 note was using.

          • Wolvie
            June 7, 2016

            Eh but Meizu M1 note was using MT6752 so it is different.
            This one is using MT6750.

            Again i am now quite scared with the reviewers as it is not the facts that they posted here.

            http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_m1_note-6890.php

            • Hakim Farouk
              June 7, 2016

              I just checked, you’re right. Wrong chipset @andi. If that’s the case, then it’s a newer chipset with slightly lower clocked but with a better gpu than MT6752.

              https://www.myzte.com/6902176003141.html

            • Muhammad Yasir
              June 7, 2016

              i guess we don’t need the extra clock speed in mobiles …

            • Riccardo Benzoni
              June 7, 2016

              a better cpu actually, mt6752 was prone to overheating and cpu power wasn’t an issue on 6753 (this one is even better), gpu improvement in other hand is what was really needed.

              could be a really interesting solution for cheap midrangers.

        • quodvadis
          June 7, 2016

          it has t860 which is way better than the t820 in 6753. dunno what’s up with mediatek naming.

          there’s no newer phone using 6752 anyway.

          • Joel Adames
            June 7, 2016

            I guess they sold all of them early on. Or the company stopped production when they started planing for the X10 not to cannibalize same tier sales.

            • quodvadis
              June 7, 2016

              nope, they pushed 6753 instead which had better modem support but way way worse GPU. now we’re (still!) stuck with shitty low-end soc until p10 takes over.

            • Joel Adames
              June 7, 2016

              Ok I get your say. What I mean is that some how the cleared stock for those nice 6752 wich is the nicest thing that ever happened to Ecoo with the e04. It was like a one hit wonder, although it was full of other bad things the SoC almost made up for all of them. Hahaha. I bought 3 and all 3 have survived more than a year. 1 got lost recently and 1 felt and cracked screen, but still fully usable and clear, the other 1 is fine.

        • Lazar Prodanovic
          June 7, 2016

          It’s a little slower than MT6752 concerning both CPU & GPU but it comes with in SoC integrated cellular radio (second generation CAT 6), it will be a very power efficient SoC & it represents a really good balanced one. GPU (T860 MP2 @ 520 MHz) wile be power efficient & good choice for HD displays expected performance is a little more than T720 MP3 at 550 MHz at MT6753. Their is also a MT6750T that will have same gpu but clocked at 650 MHz.
          All in all not a bad SoC.

  2. realjjj
    June 6, 2016

    This ends up looking a lot like the UMI Super.

    • Muhammad Yasir
      June 7, 2016

      lol

  3. Joel Adames
    June 6, 2016

    It is in deed a good cheap option.

  4. Guest
    June 6, 2016

    Mediatek are still producing the 6752?

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      Sorry for my stupidity, does it mean it is better or worse than MT6752 ?

    • Hakim Farouk
      June 7, 2016

      This chipset is pretty good actually even if it’s slightly outdated. The same as what Meizu m1 note was using.

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      Eh but Meizu M1 note was using MT6752 so it is different.
      This one is using MT6750.

      Again i am now quite scared with the reviewers as it is not the facts that they posted here.

      http://www.gsmarena.com/meizu_m1_note-6890.php

    • quodvadis
      June 7, 2016

      it has t860 which is way better than the t820 in 6753. dunno what’s up with mediatek naming.

      there’s no newer phone using 6752 anyway.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      June 7, 2016

      It’s a little slower than MT6752 concerning both CPU & GPU but it comes with in SoC integrated cellular radio (second generation CAT 6), it will be a very power efficient SoC & it represents a really good balanced one. GPU (T860 MP2 @ 520 MHz) wile be power efficient & good choice for HD displays expected performance is a little more than T720 MP3 at 550 MHz at MT6753. Their is also a MT6750T that will have same gpu but clocked at 650 MHz.
      All in all not a bad SoC.

    • Hakim Farouk
      June 7, 2016

      I just checked, you’re right. Wrong chipset @andi. If that’s the case, then it’s a newer chipset with slightly lower clocked but with a better gpu than MT6752.

      https://www.myzte.com/6902176003141.html

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      i guess we don’t need the extra clock speed in mobiles …

    • Joel Adames
      June 7, 2016

      I guess they sold all of them early on. Or the company stopped production when they started planing for the X10 not to cannibalize same tier sales.

    • quodvadis
      June 7, 2016

      nope, they pushed 6753 instead which had better modem support but way way worse GPU. now we’re (still!) stuck with shitty low-end soc until p10 takes over.

    • Joel Adames
      June 7, 2016

      Ok I get your say. What I mean is that some how the cleared stock for those nice 6752 wich is the nicest thing that ever happened to Ecoo with the e04. It was like a one hit wonder, although it was full of other bad things the SoC almost made up for all of them. Hahaha. I bought 3 and all 3 have survived more than a year. 1 got lost recently and 1 felt and cracked screen, but still fully usable and clear, the other 1 is fine.

    • Riccardo Benzoni
      June 7, 2016

      a better cpu actually, mt6752 was prone to overheating and cpu power wasn’t an issue on 6753 (this one is even better), gpu improvement in other hand is what was really needed.

      could be a really interesting solution for cheap midrangers.

  5. realjjj
    June 6, 2016

    This one ends up looking a lot like the UMI Super.

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      lol

  6. Joel Adames
    June 7, 2016

    It is in deed a good cheap option.

  7. Lazar Prodanovic
    June 7, 2016

    Actually Xiaomi Redmi 3A sounds much better & costs couple of bucks less.

    • realjjj
      June 7, 2016

      There is no such a thing as a Redmi 3A. The Redmi 3 is 699CNY vs 599CNY for this one. The Redmi 3 with fingerprint sensor is 899CNY.

      • Muhammad Yasir
        June 7, 2016

        he meant the redmi 3s … which i expect to be SUPER DUPER CHEAP !
        allegedly it’ll have 3gb ram too 😀

        • realjjj
          June 7, 2016

          There is a version that went through TENAA with a minor SoC upgrade but that’s all and there is no indication that it will be well priced.
          This ZTE is very well priced. Only the 360f4 also a fingerprint sensor at this price but that one got a plastic back.
          Meizu has a new 5 inch 720p launching Monday with metal back and likely fingerprint.We’ll see if they price it at 599 or 699CNY.

          Anyway the Nubia Z11 Max is about to launch. /me goes check that one out.

          • Joel Adames
            June 7, 2016

            You seem to like 360 brand… am I wrong?

        • Lazar Prodanovic
          June 7, 2016

          No. I ment exactly what I wrote. We will see how it will be actually called.

          • Muhammad Yasir
            June 7, 2016

            ok man … i was just being nice.

        • realjjj
          June 7, 2016

          And you just assume naming and pricing based on what?
          They cut the SoC ,they add fingerprint so 3s an 699CNY would be the more reasonable assumption.
          Even if it ends up to 599, it’s the same as this one.

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            June 7, 2016

            I am assuming on other leaks (that actually mentioned pricing of 96$) about it but they are all just rumors, nothing official.
            Actuality funny how no one mentioned how this ZTE actually costs 17% more for a version with more basebans (read out of China model) & how it comes with Lollipop 5.1.

            Nice try, think again.

        • Alexander van Scherpenseel
          June 7, 2016

          5″ screen with 1780×1280 resolution? Right……..

          • Lazar Prodanovic
            June 7, 2016

            So they say.

  8. Muhammad Yasir
    June 7, 2016

    its 6750 !

  9. Lazar Prodanovic
    June 7, 2016

    Actually Xiaomi Redmi 3A sounds much better & costs couple of bucks less.

    • realjjj
      June 7, 2016

      There is no such a thing as a Redmi 3A. The Redmi 3 is 699CNY vs 599CNY for this one. The Redmi 3 with fingerprint sensor is 899CNY.

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      he meant the redmi 3s … which i expect to be SUPER DUPER CHEAP !
      allegedly it’ll have 3gb ram too 😀

    • realjjj
      June 7, 2016

      There is a version that went through TENAA with a minor SoC upgrade (downgrade really) but that’s all and there is no indication that it will be well priced.
      This ZTE is very well priced. Only the 360f4 also a fingerprint sensor at this price but that one got a plastic back.
      Meizu has a new 5 inch 720p launching Monday with metal back and likely fingerprint.We’ll see if they price it at 599 or 699CNY.

      Anyway the Nubia Z11 Max is about to launch. /me goes check that one out.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      June 7, 2016

      No. I ment exactly what I wrote. We will see how it will be actually called.

    • realjjj
      June 7, 2016

      And you just assume naming and pricing based on what?
      They cut the SoC ,they add fingerprint so 3s an 699CNY would be the more reasonable assumption.
      Even if it ends up to 599, it’s the same as this one.

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      June 7, 2016

      I am assuming on other leaks (that actually mentioned pricing of 96$) about it but they are all just rumors, nothing official.
      Actuality funny how no one mentioned how this ZTE actually costs 17% more for a version with more basebans (read out of China model) & how it comes with Lollipop 5.1.

      Nice try, think again.

    • Alexander van Scherpenseel
      June 7, 2016

      5″ screen with 1780×1280 resolution? Right……..

    • Lazar Prodanovic
      June 7, 2016

      So they say.

    • Joel Adames
      June 7, 2016

      You seem to like 360 brand… am I wrong?

    • Guest
      June 7, 2016

      ok man … i was just being nice.

  10. Guest
    June 7, 2016

    its 6750 !

  11. Nadam
    July 7, 2016

    Yeah it’s a MT6750, as it’s also showed on Geekbuyng.

  12. Nadam
    July 7, 2016

    Yeah it’s a MT6750, as it’s also showed on Geekbuyng.