ZTE Max XL - Review 2022 - Llanos Giager1994

ZTE has been making a lot of big, affordable phablets lately, and the Max Forty for Heave Mobile is no exception. $129.99 gets y'all a telephone with a crisp 6-inch display, a capable processor, and the latest version of Android. It'southward also the first not-flagship telephone to support HPUE, a network technology that allows for better coverage and faster data speeds on Sprint (and, in plough, Boost). All that makes the Max XL a terrific value for the price, and our Editors' Choice.

Design, Display, and Features

The Max Xl lives upwardly to its proper name, measuring in at 6.5 by iii.iii by 0.4 inches (HWD) and a hefty 6.4 ounces. It'southward bigger all around than the LG Stylo 3 (half-dozen.1 by 3.1 by 0.3 inches, five.3 ounces), and notably heavier than the metal-clad HTC Bolt (vi.1 past 3.0 by 0.3 inches, 6.1 ounces). Even if yous're used to phablets, you still might discover the Max Xl to be a bit unwieldy. Information technology's besides wide to reach beyond with your thumb, and a sizable bezel on the top and bottom make using it with one hand impossible, though the textured grayness plastic back offers decent grip.

Max XL back

A pair of book buttons are on the correct side, with a clicky textured ability button below. The top has a iii.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port is on the bottom (even so uncommon at this price point), and a SIM/microSD card slot is on the left. The microSD card slot worked with a 256GB card. The fingerprint sensor on the back is responsive, and besides functions as a photographic camera shutter central when y'all're in the photographic camera app.

The phone has a 6-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 IPS display that's keen for multimedia. It offers solid resolution for the size, packing 367 pixels into each inch. Text and video look crisp, with no noticeable pixelation, and viewing angles are good. With the brightness dialed up to maximum, the 40 is easy to run across in direct sunlight. There are several backlit capacitive buttons under the display for navigation.

Network Performance and Connectivity

Boost Mobile uses Sprint's network, and then service is identical between the two carriers. The Max Xl supports CDMA (0/1/10), GSM (850/1900MHz), UMTS (2/4/v), and LTE bands (2/3/four/v/7/12/25/26/41). Similar the Stylo 3, information technology supports 2x20 carrier aggregation and automatically switches between 4G LTE and LTE Plus when available. Where the Max XL differs from the Stylo 3 is with HPUE—High Power User Equipment—which improves 2.5GHz coverage on band 41 devices on Dart's network. In practical terms, this translates to better outdoor coverage force and indoor signal penetration.

During testing in Midtown Manhattan, the XL largely matched the Stylo 3'south speed, hitting 34.7Mbps down and 12.7Mbps up. But it pulls alee in areas where network strength is poor. In a serial of ten side-by-side tests, the Xl regularly had connectivity in places the Stylo iii didn't, and recovered from expressionless zones faster. If y'all employ your phone in area with iffy Dart connectivity, you want a telephone that supports HPUE.

Max XL apps

Additional connection options include dual-band Wi-Fi (ii.4GHz and 5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.ii. There's no NFC, but that's non a feature you typically observe at this price indicate.

Call quality is mostly quite expert. Voices sound natural and transmissions are mostly clear, with simply the occasional crackling or pop. Earpiece book could be a scrap louder, and the rear speaker is pretty tinny, simply noise cancellation blots out traffic and other background noise.

Processor, Battery, and Photographic camera

The Max 40 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor clocked at 1.4GHz. In the AnTuTu criterion test, a measure of overall system performance, it scores 45,486, just ahead of the Stylo iii (42,131) which has the same chipset. Compared with ZTE's older, Snapdragon 410-powered Warp vii (26,882), performance is significantly improve.

The phone's 2GB of RAM is enough to handle a decent corporeality multitasking without whatsoever slowdown. Functioning is smooth overall, and demanding games like GTA: San Andreas are playable, but yous'll occasionally feel dropped frames and sluggish controls.

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Battery life is decent, just not as exceptional as its 3,990mAh capacity would lead you to believe. The phone clocked v hours, 15 minutes when streaming full-screen video over LTE at maximum brightness, which is less than the Stylo 3 managed (6 hours, 33 minutes). The LG Ten Power'due south slightly larger 4,100mAh battery ups the ante considerably, clocking 8 hours, 48 minutes. This is well-nigh largely due to the XL's vivid, supersized display, which sucks upward power much more greedily than smaller, dimmer screens. With more moderate usage, I never had a trouble getting the Forty to final all twenty-four hour period.

The XL'due south 13-megapixel rear camera is a low point. Information technology takes passable pictures in adept lighting, but about shots tend to look a chip dull and grainy. On cloudy days and in lower low-cal conditions, there was quite a bit of noticeable artifacting. Overall photo quality is similar to what you lot'll discover on the Stylo 3, but I prefer the Stylo for its brighter colors and smoother mail-processing. The Max XL does pull ahead somewhat thanks to manual controls, assuasive you lot to arrange exposure, focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white residuum to meliorate shots. But there's but then much you can exercise. The v-megapixel front end-facing camera is fine. Both sensors record in 1080p at 30fps, though video can be a little jittery.

Max XL apps

Software

Information technology's rare for budget phones to offer the latest software. The Max 40 is running the very latest Android 7.1.one Nougat, the same build currently on the Google Pixel Forty. That's impressive in and of itself, but what's even better is that the Max 40's UI is pretty shut to stock. Aside from some minor additions in the Settings menu, similar the ability to remap the capacitive keys, everything should be familiar to seasoned Android users.

ZTE's big win in the software department is somewhat tempered by a salubrious dose of bloatware. There are 12 apps from Heave, v Amazon apps, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and NextRadio. Most of the Boost apps and NextRadio tin can be removed, but the rest tin can merely exist disabled. Even afterward you lot delete everything, y'all're left with a paltry 3.12GB of available storage. It's a adept thing yous get that microSD bill of fare slot.

Conclusions

For $130, the ZTE Max XL gets you solid performance, a large, brilliant 1080p screen, the latest Android software, and ameliorate connectivity cheers to the presence of HPUE. Compared with the aging and overpriced competition, the Max Twoscore offers better overall performance at a more affordable price. Unless yous're smashing on using a stylus to take notes and want a removable battery, the Max XL has more than to offer than the Stylo iii, and it'southward $50 less. That makes information technology the best upkeep-friendly phone yous can buy on Boost Mobile, and our new Editors' Choice.