ZTE Zmax 2

steven360

This is one hell of a phone. I've owned this phone for at least 3 years, if not 4, and still counting. This thing has been accidentally dropped in water and taken a lot of beating but is still fully functional. I don't want to jinx myself now, and if I ever need a budget phone or "cheap" phone under 150 USD, I'm probably going to ZTE and seeing what they have to offer. They make (made?) hella durable phones.

bikerbabe458

I have had this phone since it came out 3 years ago and haven't had any problems with it. The best phone I ever had. I have all kinds of apps on it and still no problem. I have my SD card as internal memory. If I ever do need to get another phone it will be another ZTE for sure.

Mahadi

Not Support any 3G

Netboy69

Last update from zte can be found here: ANdroid 6.0.1, , under tab software update. Regards

AnonD-706565

Nice phone for the low price. Bought 2 of them for $49 each at Best Buy a year ago Both had battery problems- won't charge to 100%. Had to buy 1 new battery for $15. Still- got my moneys-worth --- for about $115 --- for 2 16gb 5.5inch phones!

AnonD-674205

Wi-Fi connection on this phone frequently fails. I can't find any solution to solve the problem. I'm thinking about buying new phone.

ezfast

I have owned this smartphone for several months. I am familiar with some of the complaints mentioned above. The size is large, but there are lots of smaller cells if that's what you want. I wanted large for easy video viewing. It still fits in most of my shirt pockets. It is very frustrating when the dialpad disappears, but there may be a workaround. Ya gotta play with these things because instruction manuals seem to be a thing of the past.

DG

This is a very poor phone. To large. Pocket dial wonder phone. Cuts off calls. Screen disappears when talking on phone and can not find it again to hang up or enter numbers or letters. I hate it alot. Doubles what u say on texts.

Anonymous

its 3g up to a 4g lte phone

imran

It's a very nice phone.....

sahna

Is it a 3g phone or 4g phone???

Chey

How good is this phone and if I buy it can I switch my cricket Sims card to it

riza

warranty does not cover the failing battery.

zmax2me2

Connect to what? it's a camera do you mean trying to send a picture to ? gmail email documents bluetooth?

blaq

I am using zte zmax 2 and my camera cannot connect so what should I do?

Anonymous

I own the z958, and has a gyroscope and works with some Vr apps. It is not compatible with the cardboard app, but you can watch Vr videos and games on it. As to if it is the same as the Zmax 2, I do not know. Hope that helped, at least a little bit.

Jack

Does anybody know if the Z958 is the same as the Zmax 2? It is acting like it does not have a Gyro and does not work with VR.

nemesisMT

Ham - Check you phone. Kingroot only gives you temp root, once you restart the phone, write protection wipes your root, as well as any changes made while temprooted. Its been a thorn in my side for 8 months now. Its unfortunate too, remove the bloatware & this thing has decent hardware for a very inexpensive, sharp phone. Screen is big enough & decent enough res to double as a note/tablet in a pinch. Bloatware slows it to Sh!t tho, as I'm sure your noticing. Also, even if you force install/default all saves and apps to SD, they get moved back to phone after an app update, so that BUGGS. Previous comment verified - I have spoken directly to ZTE corp (both US & China), no plans on supporting removal of R/W protect. I have already carrier unlocked it but that does nothing for the OS...grr

AnonD-591445

settings----sounds and notifications----dolby digital plus---check the movie option

thusa

Would love root for z958 att version of the phone. $60 and phone is great except bloatware and locked R/W boot, no bootloader or plans to support it from ZTE sadly

Ham71

Good phone easy to root. Use a cable and kingoroot. If you play Pokémon go and it blocks you just get root hider. Would work for any app that blocks you if you're rooted ;)

Vichu

Jio not working in this

Fed up

This phone is a piece of junk. Got it in February and the first one got hot enough to make me take notice when it was on the charger. I got the second under the Best Buy warranty. It's now the end of October the same year and the phone reboots every time I get or send a text. While talking on the phone my voicemail will start on its on and put my call on hold. I took it back to Best Buy and they insist I bought the phone in September of 2014 which is a pretty neat trick as it wasn't introduced until June of 2015.

AnonD-600423

great

AnonD-600423

Been using an iphone for years bought this because of some reviews on slickdeals as a backup but loved it so much it is my daily. I have used it for over a year and had no problems with it at all. It goes on sale for $50 new every few months. I bought a tough case and extra battery as well. apps to get Gravity Screen and a camera app. FYI you can't root this thing.

Anonymous

U just got a crap one

Dbergler

How do you set up Dolby audio? Do you mean installing an app, which app? Thanks.

Cheers God

Works good! Got for $50 @ Best buy. Calls are clear on both ends. Battery life is good. Display is pleasant, speaker is loud after you setup Dolby audio. Speaker calls are average. Cell reception is maybe average. Had a Lumia 640 used to get 2-3 usually 3 bars at work. This gets 1-2 bars. Doesn't drop calls and holds onto LTE with no problem. I like this phone except no body was figured out how to root it! Plays all my games good and apps work good. At times it can act laggy for a sec. But performance is on par for a snapdragon 410. Definitely faster than my Lumia 640 with snapdragon 400, battery not nearly as good but this phone has an extra .5" display too. Give it an 8.7/10. For $50 can't go wrong!

AnonD-591445

tap and hold the name of the contact you want to delete. A bottom bar should appear with the trash can icon ( lower right bottom of screen). tap the can and then "ok" Go back to the Home screen

AnonD-591114

It is a good phone for the price... Right now the price is $49.99 at BestBuy for AT & T Prepaid... I unlocked the phone and tried T-Mobile SIM and it worked like a charm... and of course it works with AT & T SIM out of the box... I strongly recommend this product for any light users and any power users who is looking for a back-up phone...

Fonda

It sucks that you can't use the flashlight and camera together

CatD

I need help! I have the ZTE ZMAX 2 (Z955L). How do I delete a contact name/phone number? I can't believe I am having a difficult time with this. I have never had this problem with other phones. Any help would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks!

AnonD-584272

I have a Zte Zmax 2 cell and it's a junk, it goes to voicemail then sends me a text and no one could help me from the tel. co. that I use. Also won't allow me to receive nor send picture msgs. it sucks. don't buy it, it's trash. the calls aren't clear on both sides. i find it hard to hear the other party and viz vs. i thank God i didn't buy it for $99.00, i got it for 69.00 but it's a no good for nothing, just waiting to have my samsung galaxy note 3 fixed. then i'll just give this give away. ppl don't waste your money on this phone.

Bud0768

Ive had this phone for over 6 months now. I play alot of sniper games on it and use it for apps for work. Take alot of pics.. And generally speaking i have beat the crap out of this phone. It just keeps working. I would buy another in a heartbeat. Before u get to picky and belittle this phone ask yourself why you bought it. ITS AN INEXPENSIVE GOOD WORKING PHONE. got mine at walmart as an unlocked phone. Use it on straght talk (att) never ever have a problem. Id give it 5stars for what it is... Durable...

amanda

is this phone large?

gags7997

I got this phone on sale, $130. The phone conversation is terrible because the Mic is on the back. You have to cup the speaker/mic area or just use speaker or Bluetooth. It's annoying but not the worse. The camera is freaking horrible. Takes too long to focus and fails half the time. I'm using pro capture all because it's better then stock all, but still terrible. The upside is the phone is fast and clean. No clutter or bloatware and very responsive. Why I bought it it fails (phone calls and pics for work) but all in all a solid C+ for the money.

Daisy

Mic & speaker on back of phone. Speak into bottom or back. Great sounds.

gman8321

Does this phone support VoLTE?

AnonD-561065

GPS. Whenever I use the "Runtastic" app for walking/ruining, Just as soon as it starts, I get a minute into the activity and a voice tells me that the GPS signal is lost- (This is every time) I continue for a mile to five miles, and when I check my app for distance, it tells me I went 0.39 miles or less or more, but never what I know my route to be. Had an iPhone 4s Samsung Galaxy S5 and a Lumia 640 prior and they did not have this issue, so it isn't the area. Curious if any one else experiences this.

Iva

Possible Mic Problem. Callers can not hear me but I can hear them. Had this phone under 3 months highly disappointed with ZTE.

Dex

I have the same problem with my mic. No one can hear me.

AnonD-546580

I wanted to add a comment about the camera. Reviewers have generally been quite negative about the rear camera of the Zmax 2. Out of the box, using the default camera app, the photos were mediocre outdoors and poor indoors, with or without flash. But, I noticed that some photos were quite good, which made me suspect that the problem is not with the camera itself, but with the ZTE camera app. I installed the free Google camera app. Outdoor photos were good in auto mode and often terrific using the HDR mode. Color balance and saturation were accurate and pleasing. Fine details were missing or smeared if you zoom in to 100% detail but most people would not notice. Then I installed the premium paid version of the FV-5 camera app. That app permits manually locking the ISO level at 100, and fine tuning the white balance for lighting conditions (sunny, shade, etc.). FV-5 also permits tapping your finger on the key part of the subject for manual focusing. The results were even better than with the Google app. Outdoor photos look great, and indoor photos are okay, if you pick an ISO level that matches the lighting. You can adjust exposure to make a photo brighter or darker. Fine details are still missing and blurred, but that is not noticeable when looking at the full image, only by zooming in. Bottom line: the Zmax 2 is capable of taking photos that are as good or better than you will get from the typical phone in the $60 to $100 price range. Outdoors, photos can come close to the quality of those from a $600 or $700, except for the loss of fine details. So, as a basic phone (phone call quality, texting, emails), the Zmax 2 is solid, with a plus for the high quality rear speaker with Dolby Audio, and a minus for the quiet volume of the front speaker. As an audio playback device for Spotify, it matches the best phones I have heard. As a camera, it is as good as any phone in its price range after you install a better camera app.

AnonD-546580

I saw the ZTE Zmax 2 at Best Buy for $60 as a AT&T GoPhone. I removed the AT&T GoPhone Sim card and went to the AT&T Device Unlocking Portal web page and requested the unlocking code. (Check the box for "NON-AT&T Mobility Customer"). Six days later, I received the unlocking code and activated it on MetroPcs, which uses the T-Mobile network. So far, it has been a solid phone. Voice quality through the front speaker is very natural, but a bit quiet through my elderly ears. I turned on the Dolby Audio app and selected the "Movie" option. Then I selected the tabs for boosting volume and voice clarity. I use manual EQ to boost both bass and treble. The sound quality through the rear speaker is very good. When I connect to good headphones or to my JBL bluetooth speaker, music and movies sound great. My MetroPcs phones generally show only one or two bars of 4G LTE in my neighborhood. Same with the Zmax 2. Even with that weak signal, Netflix movies start quickly and look good. Spotify music sounds better than with my other phones. I set screen brightness with the manual slider as the "auto" mode is too dim. Battery life is good, and most folks should be able to get from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. and still have 20% or 30% left. However, playing games, streaming Netfix movies, or using GPS drain the battery much faster. Using GPS navigation with the screen at 100% brightness drained 30% of the battery in an hour. Two minor problems. When I was using GPS navigation, the ZMax 2 would lose the GPS signal for a minute or so, and then reconnect. My prior Lumia 640 and LG Stylo did the same thing in my area. The second problem may or may not be the fault of the phone. When I use my banking app to connect to my bank, the log in process goes smoothly using 4G LTE. When I am connected to Wi-Fi, an error message says "your password is not recognized". Odd. The Zmax 2 is similar in height, width and weight to the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and to the Apple iPhone 6s Plus. Those phones sell for over $600. I paid $60 for the ZTE. Is it as good as those phone? Nope. But I would guestimate the ZTE is providing 80% or 90% of the performance of those phones for everyday functions....phone calls, texting, email, music, video, gps...for just 10% of their price. If I drop it, and it breaks, or I lose it, hey...it cost $60.

Anthony

The Zmax 2 is unpopular bigger brother of the original Zmax. On paper, the 3000 mAh battery and 2gb of ram look good on paper and perform well in real life. However, the phone clearly struggles with it's lack of more pixels, and a more optimized camera. The camera is atrocious at taking video, but pictures are surprisingly decent (In highly lit environments). The durability of this phone still amazes me to this day. I have a phone holder on my bike, and it fell while I was going over 10 miles an hour. The way it skidded across the pavement lead me to believe there were many scratches beyond repair. As I slowly lifted the phone to reveal the screen, it was untouched. The border of the phone got most of the impact. From a budget standpoint, this isn't the best bang for your buck. But the incredible value you are given with the plans that come with GoPhones, it sure is worth a try.

AnonD-544919

Please think about changing to ATT. That is all i will say. Check out the fine print first please.

AnonD-544919

Not a big fan. It's ATT go but use with other company. Camera not good. Sound not great. All the ATT apps run often. Personally,I wil not buy a phone from another company like Att, just generally speaking not bashing ATT. Altho, I do think they shoukd stand by the quality and some kind of warranty. Sorry thumbs down on ZTE Z958. You get what you pay for in this situation.

Emilio

Just turn on the dolby app, and you will enjoy a big sound.

Cujo53

The headset jack has great sound quality I have found everything on this phone to be great.

Poetry

2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G: HSDPA 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100, 4G: LTE 1900(B2) / 1700(B4) / 2100(B4) / 2600(B7) / 700(B12)

AnonD-532594

I am about to buy a ZTE Zmax 2 (model G111 apparently). I want to know if this particular model comes with 850 frequency for 4G/LTE networks. I see in the specs that there's one model that comes with 850 and another one with 2600... Thank you!

AnonD-531367

I do, have you found a fix? Mine doesn't work half the time, maybe more

AnonD-531367

I do. Have you found a fix??

Kdia

Do you have problems with the mic too. When I make calls now people can't hear me.

Onions

Check the XDA forums. Probably a marshmallow ROM already or soon

Le Pepper

It actually sounds great with that Dolby Digital settings option

The Pepper.

How does the output from the headphone port sound?

austinolmi

Speakers are amazing if you have the dolby on. Second all ports are in a normal location like pretty much all phones

Anonymous

I agree

AnonD-522189

Thank you this info. Want to purchase one as a gift for relative who already has active Tracfone acct.

cammers1995

As with all ZTE phones, the hardware isn't bad. But the speakers aren't good, and they always choose to place ports in awkward locations.

ph711

Technically, yes. It comes with an AT&T SIM card. But if you do not activate it after purchase, buy a SIM card from a cell phone provider that works with the AT&T network and activate with them under their BYOP plan you are good to go. You will still be operating on the AT&T network but with the potential for lower costs. I did exactly that and am now a happy Tracfone customer, on the AT&T network, and paying $20 every 3 months for service (admittedly low volume - but meets my needs). Good phone, good network, good price!

Anonymous

Yes t the sound does suck.

Kat

The only thing I don't like about this phone is the VOLUME sucks. I have put incoming calls and incoming messages to the highest level and I still miss calls and messages. And, when I make calls, I can bearly hear the ring. If I knew this was going to be a big issue with this phone, I never would have bought it. Oh, and it's not my hearing. I had that checked.

Anonymous

No.

Anonymous

There is a free app in the Google Play Store called 8 SMS. It is exactly like the stock texting program but with more options, including quick reply

Anonymous

You're one of the very few people who like the Windows OS on a cell phone, but right now Walmart is selling the Microsoft 640 with Windows for $30. I tried it out as a backup phone and it works quite well. Personally I don't like the windows OS, so I returned it, but if you like it then that's actually a very good phone for the money. It's an AT&T go phone which can be unlocked

prashanth

will this mobile get update its android version to mashmallow? please suggest me how it is possible?

AnonD-509782

That's exactly what my AT&T contract Galaxy S4 did... it would shut itself off at about 20% battery which would drain in a few hours (even NEW batteries didn't help)... then just yesterday, it finally died and wouldn't come back on at all... I went to the AT&T store today to look at their GoPhones and the ZTE ZMAX 2 was the only phone that caught my eye... I'm thinking about dropping my 15-year old contract with AT&T and going with this GoPhone... I hope it works well enough to suit my needs... thanks to E for your review as we have had similar experiences with the S4... I think I'm going to get this phone tomorrow...

AnonD-504498

If you turn it on holding the power, volume down and home button, it boot with some different options

Steven

Yes there is some kind of arbitrary limit. I was able to get a 64gb micro SD to work, but I had to delete all partitions on the micro SD and create a 32gb partition and it worked fine, but you can only use those 32gb of the 64gb card, so you may as well just get a 32gb...

Anonymous

Works flawlessly on tmobile, you guys who say it doesn't don't know what you're talking about. You need to have it unlocked. Take the att sim out before you even turn it on, request unlock on att website as a non mobility customer and they'll send you unlock code within 48 hours. If you turn on phone with att sim In It, it will be locked to att for 6 months. One unlocked it works as good as any tmobile phone on tmobile

Ray

does any one know on how to put the zmax2 in download mode?

BigMad

Had the max since I Boughy it from someone I figured the issue I was having was normal wear and tear. Got the max 2 the battery is now doing the same thing it did on the max. It shuts off at about 30% and won't come back on, progressively gets worse. Piece of shit.

BigMad

This is the second zte device I've had and I've run into the same problem. This one, I've had for about four months. After a while the battery spazzes. It gets to about 30% and dies completely. Then takes forever to charge up. Had the same issue with my last one. Its crazy and its prepaid so there's nothing I can do until I speak to the manufacturer. #garbage

Hoolaga

Lol I did the same, went to AT&T and took the ASUS Zenphone2E, what a piece of crap, I returned it today and get the ZTE Zmax2, seems nice after a few hours.

Anonymous

I've always had flagship phones, but I was in a jam and needed a phone. This one got good reviews almost universally. I must say that I'm pleasantly surprised. The fit and finish is quite good, the display, while not full HD, looks good and is plenty bright in daylight. Battery life is outstanding - I get 2 full days. I can get almost 7 hours of screen on time if I set the brightness at 50%. Performance is not blinding, but is plenty more than acceptable - good even. The camera is mediocre, but more or less fits my needs. Call quality if good and even the external speaker is acceptable. For $80, I'm extremely pleased. This was to be a temporary remedy, but I may well end up keeping this for a while.

AnonD-493598

My first Android Been using WP) in a few years. Used 4.1 last time. Its a world of difference in performance than I remember using this phone. I do miss my WP OS, but this device is nice. It feels solid and has excellent battery life. The screen looks great unless your are outside with the glare from the sun. I am used to MS devices having polarized glass which mitigates the glare. The camera software on this phone sucks. It makes the pictures look like garbage, soft and washed out. Another plus to WP, great software and even low end devices take reliably good pictures. So I am on the search for a quality camera app. I have found a few paid for apps, and I might have to pay to get quality out of this camera. With all of the apps MS is bringing to android, if they made an MS launcher (using arrow now) with the WP interface and brought their camera app over, it would be perfect. WP spoiled me as far as I could sign in and have a great home screen, message, phone, people, camera, file manager, and performance. I would say I miss WP, but I am still using it. I despise having to set up Android. All in all, this is an excellent device to try Android. PLUS I only paid $79!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loki

Thank you for finally saying what needed to be said. Its at&t . if you want to use it on Cricket however, you totally can. Anyway good review

Anonymous

I recent had the Asus Zenfone 2. It was a piece of crap. Then I got the Zte Zmax2 at an at&t store for$108 with tax. I have to say its one of the best phones out there. My opinion is its better than Samsung or iphones.

AnonD-493980

I absolutly love this phone!!! doesnt have NFC so if you want a phone wit that, look elsewhere. i got it from staright talk for 179$ not bad . its big, thing, light weight, but its smooth. i do love how the notification led light is the center home button., it pulses. you also can change the light duration for the 3 buttons on the bottom to change how long they light up for, or if oyu want them always on or off, and they have an automatic mode (which i believe uses the light sensor on the phone to detect whether to turn them on or off) also, unlike the galaxy grand prime (which i used to have till i broke it with rooting), this doesnt have quick reply, and you're unable to see when someone has received a text SMS message. im surprised that this phone actually stays relativly cool, and not hot. from CPU usage. however battery life is usual for me, drains fast through out the day, having to charge MULTIPLE times a day even though its bigger than the grand prime battery, it still has the same life usuage for 24hrs ish. Great budget phone overall!! there are those little things they couldve done differently that would've made it even more amazing.

bob

its now at best buy for only 79.99

JP

Does the zte zmax 2 come locked with a at&t sim card?

AnonD-14912

The specs say up to 64GB, but I think it is to just 32GB. I even tried formating my Samsung 64GB microSD XC UHS-1 (EVO Ultra-Fast Performance) to Fat32 and still didn't work. 32GB cards work fine.

virgo83

LOL why didn't you by the T-Mobile version? (They did make two versions of zmax2, the second version supported lte 12) I have it, and it works great!

AnonD-486568

You've got to be a special kind of stupid. It's an AT&T phone, it clearly says that in multiple places. It also clearly outlines what LTE bands its designed to work with. It's not AT&T's fault or problem they did not put the radio in this phone to work with the LTE bands on T-mobile. Lots of phones are cross compatible, this one isn't. SO WHAT!? Cry me a river, build me a bridge and GET OVER IT. Next time you want to review a phone, say something RELEVANT.

AnonD-485779

My Samsung Galaxy S4 32GB was giving me all kinds of problems dying all of the time,numerous charging problems. I made the choice to buy this phone because it seemed like the better buy at Walmart for a $143 can't beat the phone at the price range. It has a decent camera and really good in good lighting conditions. Love the feel of the phone don't really need a case but bought one anyways. It definitely has a really good feel of one of the more premium phones. Had it for 2 months and not a single problem. All day long battery rarely have to charge it here is a tip for some of the people with bugs after the update factory reset and the phone works just as good if not better afterwards. Overall an exceptional phone for the price this coming from a guy who has owned many high end smartphones.

Anonymous

There is your problem. T-Mobile. Not the phone.

E

Honestly I needed a phone asap, my Galaxy S4 was dying at 20%, the screen responded, sometimes and I managed to get 3 hairline cracks on the screen.. I went to Walmart, checked out there Go Phones and decided the ZTE ZMax2 was the best of the bunch (over the Samsung Go Prime, which looked like a slightly bigger S4). I must say, I've been disappointed before with other models (HTC or any battery enclosed device) but this ZTE has truly impressed the hell out of me. It was a better use of $130 than the $250 dollars I spent on the S4! It's fast, its has Lollipop, the screen is crystal clear (considering the S4 screen is like 150 pixels more). The perforated hard matte plastic leather like back males the phone pretty classy. Camera is great, runs smooth. No problems! 9/10!

Anonymous

Had this phone right at a month and already having problems with the screen not working right but it us a zte

serialteg

So far, Best thing it has: battery life Worst thing: touch screen response. It's definitely a couple of steps down from, say, a Galaxy Note, iPhone, or LG top-notch phone. Then again, this is not a top-notch phone. It makes do for a brand-new phone for $130+ whatever tax. Got it for $156 with a 11.5% sales tax in Puerto Rico + a professionally mounted screen protector for $10.

Anonymous

Thats why it says it's for at&t

anon

No LTE band 12. Do not even try to unlock or buy unlocked because it will not work properly on T mobile. Worthless. What the heck did they think?

annette_b4

I love this phone! I love the large screen, and the dolbi sound. When I watch Netflix I get great pics and great sound!! Takes great pics too.

Anonymous

i cant wait to get it. when i get paid im switching to Att and get this phone

Anonymous

this thing is great!

Zmax1

Is the battery life better than zmax1?

Anonymous

The model number for this is Z958

Anonymous

3000mah battery is big, not huge. Removable is a plus.

FB in D

Only 32 Gb for the Micro SD -- a bit lame.

AnonD-415086

The phone is available on ATT GoPhone's site.

itfan

good price. with 2gig ram and 5.5 inch HD display! android 5.1 and HUGE 3000mah battery. the only con is the brand (ZTE)