Expert Rating

81

Featuring an amazing android experience, the ZTE Blade L8 is one of the cheapest phones you can get. It comes with both a back and front camera both of which take pretty great pictures. Compare the specs in the ZTE with our Huawei Nexus 6P review to make sure you’re making the right choice. With a 5 Inch screen, the ZTE Blade L8 allows you to carry out a number of tasks without any form of trouble. Now although the phone isn’t built to last, it is potentially the best android phone for a temporary need, that too at a price much, much cheaper than the Moto E5.

However, if you want a more quality and durable phone packed with latest features, check out the Huawei Y7 Dub lx3 review.

Why We Like It – ZTE Blade

Offering you a smartphone experience for a price under $50, the ZTE Blade L8 features the Android 9.0 Pie Go edition making it a perfect phone for anyone who needs a short time substitute phone. While the processing power is decent for a temporary phone, the ZTE Blade L8 also provides you with a 8MP rear back camera as well as 5MP front camera, making taking decent photos a whole lot easier and cheaper. See how the ZTE stacks up against the Sony Xperia Arc is sexy phone time (video).

Pros
  • Extremely affordable
  • Great cameras
  • Features Android 9.0 Pie Go
Cons
  • Performance doesn’t last very long

Performance

With the Spreadtrum SC9832E Quad-core 1.3 GHz processor, the Mali-T820 MP1 GPU and 1 GB of RAM, the ZTE Blade L8 is one of the most affordable phones you can get right now. It packs in a 5.0 Inch screen with resolution of 480 x 960 pixels and a 18:9 aspect ratio which paired with its configuration allows you to make great use of the Android 9.0 Pie Go edition. And while it may not perform as great as the Google Pixel 3A, the ZTE Blade L8 is a great phone for using social media and getting some work done every now and then until you get yourself something better.

It comes packed with a 2000mAh battery which gives you a pretty decent battery life considering the fact that it doesn’t have a very big screen. As for the storage, the ZTE Blade L8 gives you 16GB of memory like the Moto E5, but in this case it’s a great compromise for the price range. And you can always just expand the storage with a microSD card. Moreover, the ZTE Blade L8 doesn’t have many options when it comes to unlocking the phone, but with a slight increase in price you can get yourself the Moto E5 or the slightly more expensive ZTE Blade Z Max, both of which have a fingerprint sensor.

However, while all these drawbacks do exist, the ZTE Blade L8 does provide you with an amazing 8MP rear camera which also supports auto focus, and also a 5MP front camera which are more than good enough for a budget phone of this price range. Additionally, it also supports dual sims which is not present even in phones like the ZTE Blade Max View as well the Z Max.

Design

The ZTE Blade L8 comes with a plastic body measuring to be 5.41 x 2.66 x 0.41 inches and weighing about 144g which makes it easy to carry around and also gives it a pretty look with its black or blue colour. Apart from that, the ZTE Blade L8 offers you a good amount of connectivity with a micro USB port for charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a microSD card slot.

As for unlocking the phone, you will have to get through with pressing the power button every time as you don’t get face unlock or a fingerprint sensor at this price range.

Value

Priced at around $30, the ZTE Blade L8 is a great phone for those who are looking for something to use as an emergency. It doesn’t support a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor like the other ZTE substitutes, but considering its price range it is more than acceptable. However, taking into account the fact that the phone does become slower with time which is greatly noticeable, the phone isn’t the best performing thing you can get right now. With a bit more money the Moto E5 would be a great choice, but if you’re buying this phone for just a short temporary use, the ZTE Blade L8 is a great phone with a great price. This Zte Blade Android Factory Unlocked review also provides an equally cheaper phone worth checking out

ZTE Blade Wrap Up

While the ZTE Blade L8 may not be the best performing phone like the Google Pixel 3A, or have as good cameras as the Samsung Galaxy A70, it does make its stand with its price tag. Cheaper than the Moto E5, which is already a great budget phone, it most certainly does stand out. But, you do need to consider the fact that this is not meant to be a permanent phone for anyone. It will deteriorate beyond use sooner than most phones due to the mere 1GB RAM, and so if you’re someone who needs an emergency temporary phone, the ZTE Blade L8 is your go to at just $30 now on amazon.