A stylish entry-level smartphone with a very productive filling - that's all ZTE Geek 2. Reviews owners of this device, as well as its capabilities, together with its hardware and software specifications will be discussed in detail later in the text.
Modifications of this smartphone
Immediately it is worth noting that there are several modifications of this device. The first of these is the one designated simply by ZTE Geek. Its computing base was a dual-core CPU developed by Intel - Atom Z2580. The clock frequency of each of its computing modules can reach “impressive” 2 GHz. RAM in it was 2 GB, and the capacity of the internal drive was 16 GB. The diagonal of the display with HD resolution was equal to “serious” at that time 5 inches. At the time of release, this gadget belonged to middle-class devices, but since then quite a lot of time has passed, and this smartphone in terms of its performance can be safely attributed to entry-level devices. The second representative of this line appeared on sale a year later - in 2014. This is ZTE Geek 2. The characteristics of this device will be discussed later in the text, here there is no need to particularly focus on them. Also included in this group of devices is the ZTE Geek 2 PRO. This gadget is completely identical to the previous device. The only difference is that the first uses the MT6582 4-core processor solution, and the second uses the MT6592 8-core chip. All other technical specifications are exactly the same as those of the ZTE Geek 2 PRO, and his "younger brother" - ZTE Geek 2.
Completeness
A typical set of accessories and components, as for an entry-level device, in this model of smart phone. This list, in addition to himself, includes:
There are clearly several important components missing from this list. First of all, this is a protective film for the front panel of the device. The factory film is very thin, and the quality of its gluing leaves much to be desired. Although this device is protected in front by a glass panel, it is not difficult to damage it. Accordingly, a protective sticker on the front panel is really needed. Secondly, without a case, the active use of this gadget is difficult to imagine. His case is plastic, so scratching, or even breaking it, is also not so difficult. So this accessory, like the protective film, you need to immediately buy with the device. The last thing that is clearly not enough in order to fully reveal the potential of this device is a memory card. The corresponding slot is in this phone, but the drive itself is not included in the package.
There is also a typical list of documentation for an entry-level smartphone with which the ZTE Geek 2 phone is equipped. A description of the functions and capabilities of the device is described in detail in the instruction manual. Besides him, there is also a warranty card.
Device design
In terms of design, this device refers to typical monoblocks that are equipped with a touch screen for organizing the input of information into the device. The device’s dimensions are as follows: length is 139.3 mm, width is 69.8 mm, its thickness is 7.8 mm and weighs 145 grams. As the name suggests, the ZTE Geek 2 BLACK smartphone sold in only one color option - black. From the point of view of operation, the most correct solution is precisely with such a design of the apparatus that dirt on its surface is least noticeable. As noted earlier, the front panel of the smart phone is protected by glass. Which one, in the specifications for the gadget is not indicated. There is no oleophobic coating on its surface , therefore fingerprints are collected. Then remove them from here is very problematic. In order to somehow solve this problem, you need to stick a protective film on the front panel. A typical smartphone control panel is displayed below the screen, which consists of 3 buttons. Even lower on the lower edge are wired port connectors (microUSB and 3.5 mm) and a spoken microphone. A conversational speaker, a front camera for making video calls and a number of sensors are displayed above the screen. On the right side are the physical control buttons. They allow you to lock the gadget and adjust the volume. The buttons themselves perform well above the side surface of the smart phone and finding them “blindly” is not difficult. On the back there is only the main camera and LED backlight to it.
Silicon base of smart phone
The time-tested and well-proven processor solution is used in ZTE Geek 2. Reviews characterize it only on the positive sides. This is MT6582M from the company-developer of the CPU based on the architecture of the workstation - MediaTek. It is based on 4 energy-efficient modules of the "A7" architecture. At maximum load, each of them operates at a frequency of 1.3 GHz.
This silicon crystal is manufactured according to the 28 nm process technology. Its computing and hardware resources are enough to run any application today. The only thing to note is that the most demanding gaming applications on it will not go at maximum settings. But you certainly should not expect more from a modest entry-level CPU.
Graphics Accelerator and Display
Phone ZTE Geek 2 equipped with an entry-level graphics accelerator - "Mali-400MP2". Of course, he cannot boast a phenomenal level of performance. But, again, this is not to be expected from a budget class video accelerator. But its resources are quite enough to solve most problems today. The same “Asphalt 8” will go on it. Even if not at the maximum settings, but still this is one of the most demanding games to launch on this smartphone today. Although on some sites of online stores in the specifications of the device appears the IPS matrix, but this is not true. This is easy to verify if you reject the gadget screen by 45-60 degrees. A characteristic color distortion will occur. This indicates that the gadget uses a TFT matrix. Its resolution is 720x1280, that is, the image on the display is displayed in HD quality. Well, the screen size of this model of smart phone is quite impressive for today five inches.
Cameras
A very high-quality main camera is installed in ZTE Geek 2. Photos and videos obtained with its help once again convince of this. She has an 8 megapixel sensor. Autofocus system is implemented in software and there is a single LED backlight. At a normal level of illumination, photos and videos turn out to be of very good quality. But in the dark or in low light conditions it will be very difficult to achieve an acceptable result. It is not necessary to expect the best in terms of photos and videos from an entry-level device. The developers did not forget to install the front camera. According to the documentation, she has a 5 megapixel sensor. But in reality this value is much less. It is difficult to say how many megapixels in a sensitive element she has. But the claimed 5 megapixels are obtained by interpolation. Hence the sharp deterioration in image quality. For a full-fledged selfie, this is not enough, but for making video calls using the same Skype, it will be quite enough.
Information storage and data processing
The memory subsystem is typical for an entry-level device in ZTE Geek 2. Features RAM in this case are: 1 GB of the DDR3 standard. At the same time, about 600-700 MB of them will be used by the operating system itself. That is, the user has to rely on 200-300 MB. If you run 2-3 demanding applications, then there will be no problems with the smooth operation of the smartphone interface. With a larger load, certain problems are possible and the quality of the device will not be right. The capacity of the built-in drive is 8 GB. A user can only use half - 4 GB to install programs and store personal photos and music. This is clearly not enough today, but this issue can only be solved using an external flash drive. Its maximum volume in this case can be 32 GB.
Battery
Phone ZTE Geek 2 comes with a removable 2300 mAh battery. To evaluate this value, we will take into account some characteristics of the device. First of all, this is the diagonal of the display (it has 5 inches, and its resolution, as noted earlier - 720x1280). Next, we pay attention to the processor - 4 cores at a frequency of 1.3 GHz and based on the "A7" architecture. Given all these parameters, with an average level of use of the device, you can safely count on 1-2 days of battery life. More to achieve on this device certainly will not work. But if you run the same "Asphalt 8", then the previously indicated value will be reduced to 3-4 hours. And this is quite a normal picture - an entry-level smartphone, after all. And the optimization of energy consumption is certainly not a strong point of the mobile devices of this Chinese brand. A similar situation with autonomy will also be in the case when the phone will be intensively used to exchange data with the global web. Well, his battery is not designed for such serious loads, and that’s it!
operating system
The system software for this gadget is, of course, Android. Moreover, the version of it is “4.4”, which at the moment is most often found on entry-level and intermediate-level mobile devices. Therefore, compatibility problems should not arise. Most programs on this operating system work stably and reliably. The interface is substantially redesigned in the ZTE Geek 2 3G. Reviews indicate its visual similarity with the latest versions of iOS. This allows the proprietary add-on ZTE over the operating system. Another important nuance that you need to pay attention to is the touch keys at the bottom of the screen. They are a continuation of the display and because of this, its working area is reduced to 1200x700.
You can return it to the previously specified values using a special option in the settings. In this case, the touch panel will hide behind the bottom edge of the screen. But if necessary, its call will be enough to make a special click on the bottom of the display.
Application software
The ZTE Geek 2 smartphone boasts a typical suite of application software. The system itself has a calendar, organizer, calculator and other standard applications with which the operating system is “completed”. There is also a typical set of utilities from Google: YouTube, Google + and other software that all smart phones with this operating system are equipped with. Chinese programmers did not forget to supplement the previously given list with social utilities. True, in this case we are only talking about international services. But their analogues of domestic origin will have to be additionally installed from the application store.
Exactly the same situation with cartographic programs. Google Maps are preinstalled from the beginning, but if you prefer a similar service from Yandex - Yandex.Maps, they will have to be additionally installed from a previously cited source.
Communications
The usual standard set of interfaces is the ZTE Geek 2 3G. This list has everything you need to work and there is not a single extra way to transmit information. All this once again indicates that this is an entry-level device with a basic set of features. The set of interfaces for this device is as follows:
Full support for 2nd and 3rd generation cellular networks. This is true for the 2-SIM version of the smartphone. There are also gadgets with one
SIM card slot. In this case, in addition to the two previously listed cellular networks, there is also support for LTE (that is, such a device can also function in 4G). The maximum data exchange rate for each type of network, respectively, can be several tens or hundreds of kilobits / sec. (GSM), tens of megabits / sec. (3G) or hundreds of megabits / sec. (LTE).
The device is equipped with a Wi-Fi transmitter, which supports the most common versions of this wireless interface today - b, g and n. The only thing missing from this list is “a,” which, albeit rarely, but still occurs. If you try to connect to such a wireless transmitter, the connection will fail. But the transfer rate in this case will be comparable to LTE and will amount to several hundred megabits per second.
The developers did not forget about such an important wireless method of exchanging data as “Bluetooth”. It is simply indispensable in cases where you need to transfer or receive a small file to a similar mobile device. Another purpose of it is to output an audio signal to a wireless headset.
A modest navigation set at Geek 2, which consists of GPS and A-GPS. But this will be enough to accurately determine the location or to make a route between two points. In the latter case, if you install specialized software, you can turn your smartphone into a full-fledged navigator.
There are also wired interfaces in ZTE Geek 2. Overview the operation manual indicates that there are only two of them: microUSB (using it you can charge the battery or exchange data with a personal computer) and 3.5 mm (allows you to output an audio signal to external speakers using wires).
Reviews
Yes, there are certain complaints about the ZTE Geek 2. Reviews indicate a very “meager” package bundle (obviously it lacks a cover and a protective sticker for the front panel), the front panel is soiled in the absence of a protective film and the obviously small volume of the integrated drive. But all these problems are solved by purchasing the appropriate accessories. On the other hand, whatever the disadvantages of this device, they are all offset by a democratic price tag. This is one of the main advantages that ZTE Geek 2 smartphone can boast against the background of competitors. Overview existing offers on the market indicates that this smart phone can be bought for 8,000 rubles. For a device with a 4-core CPU and a 5-inch touch screen, this is a very modest figure.
Summary
If you need an entry-level smart phone with fairly good hardware and a solid display diagonal of 5 inches, then you can safely turn your attention to ZTE Geek 2. Reviews indicate the presence of certain shortcomings in it, which are fully offset by a modest price tag of 8,000 rubles.