Since May 7, it is possible to acquire from Bouygues Telecom in France, the latest high-end model from ZTE.
Called ZTE Link, it is also the first ZTE model imported into France running Android OS. As mentioned by Emmanuel Rousseau, the Director for terminals in France, the ZTE Link aim is to democratize Android cell phones in France. At 149 € in prepaid, or 1 € in a pack, ZTE has good chances to succeed.
Google Android Tablet Pc 7
Despite the tight price ZTE Link is a well equipped mobile phone. It has a very reactive 2.8-inch resistive touch screen of 320x240 pixels. The processor, a Qualcomm MSM7227 clocked at 600MHz, has an internal memory of 120MB and comes with a 2GB memory card to store multimedia files (pictures, MP3s, videos). This memory can be extended to 8 GB by adding a microSD card. The Link is quad bands and works on the 3G+ networks, which allows surfing at an average speed of 1.2 Mbps (7.2 Mbps maximum). It also has Bluetooth and WiFi to surf for free in one of the numerous hot spot available around the planet. The A-GPS is used in combination with Google Maps. The camera is a 3.2 megapixels, which is quite satisfying given the price of the terminal. The built in accelerometer, allows photos, videos and the digital keyboard to automatically adjust to the screen, whether the phone is hold vertically or horizontally. The ZTE Link integrates music, video, photos and audio players. The micro USB port allows the Link to be easily connected to a PC for file transfer or battery charging.
Finally, the fact that the Link is running an Android operating system (version 1.6), this makes it compatible with more than 10,000 applications available for example at Android Market or Androlib.
The ZTE Link casing uses plastics which are similar to the HTC Touch 3G's one. Although some of the photos show the Link in white, Bouygues Telecom offers it only in black. Its dimensions are rather small: 102 x 55 x 14.5 mm and with a weight of 104 grams, it is lighter than most other Smartphone's. The 3 controls (home, menu, back), bellow the screen, are sensitive, the 2 steps button bellow is mechanical. The volume button is located on the right side of the cell phone.
Our first impression concerning the ZTE Link is positive. The casing, the call reception and the emission are good and the screen is very responsive, but lacks of brightness in daylight.
ZTE managed to provide an Android phone with a good performance for an entry-level price. Competition should start to worry and for ZTE it is only the beginning.