ZTE Avid Plus hands-on

CES may not be as exciting for Android fans as some of the other trade shows held later over the course of the year, but there are still plenty of devices for us to play around with. CES also provides an opportunity for some lesser known manufacturers, such as ZTE in this case, to show off their device offerings, and kick things off with the company’s latest entry-level smartphone. We are on the ground here at CES 2016, and here is the first look at the ZTE Avid Plus!

Starting with the design, the Avid Plus may feature an all-plastic build, as you would expect from a budget-friendly entry-level smartphone, but still feels pretty nice in the hand. The benefit of the design is seen in the removable backing, an aspect that has more or less gone by the wayside, and taking it allows for access to the replaceable battery, the SIM card slot, and the microSD card slot.

The device comes with a 5-inch LCD display with a resolution of 854 x 480, resulting in a pixel density of 196 ppi. The resolution and pixel count is admittedly very low in the current landscape, but is understandable, given the entry-level nature of this phone. This display is certainly nothing to write home about, and overall, will just about get the job done.

Under the hood, the Avid Plus comes with a quad-core processor clocked at 1.1 GHz, and backed by 1 GB of RAM. Other hardware includes 8 GB of built-in storage which is rather paltry, but users do get to take advantage of expandable storage via microSD card, for up to an additional 32 GB of storage. The device comes with a 2,300 mAh battery, which may sound small, but should be more than enough to get this phone through a full day of use, or even more, given its other specifications.

On the camera front, you are getting a 5 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing shooter. Once again, this is at par for what can be expected from an entry-level smartphone, and while these cameras will do in a pinch, shots are likely not going to be particularly impressive.

On the software side of things, the Avid Plus is running a near stock version of Android 5.1 Lollipop. ZTE hasn’t done too much here in terms of customization, but there are a few interesting extras baked in. For the most part however, the Avid Plus features a very clean Android experience.

So there you have it for this quick look at the ZTE Avid Plus! If you are looking for a solid entry-level smartphone that offers some nice functionality, the ZTE Avid Plus is going to be a good choice.  Pricing is still to be determined, but we can expect the device to be launched with a very affordable price tag, and will available in the US from network carriers such as MetroPCS and T-Mobile.

Things are just getting started here in Las Vegas, so stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great coverage from CES 2016!