ZTE Grand X3 hands on

We are here at CES 2016 with ZTE as the company continues to take the wraps off of a slew of budget-friendly smartphones. Their latest offering is the newest addition to the Grand X series, which stands out by bringing some high-end features to an affordable package. What does this device have to offer? We find out, as we go hands on with the ZTE Grand X3!

Starting with the display, the Grand X3 features a large 5.5-inch display, and while it only comes with a 720p resolution, the display actually looks really good, and the additional screen real estate is something that media-consumption and gaming centric users will certainly appreciate.

Under the hood, the Grand X3 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor, backed by 2 GB of RAM. 16 GB of internal storage is all that is available to you, but expandable storage via microSD card is also found to help alleviate any storage concerns you may have.

One of the favorite features of ours of the Grand X3 is its sizable battery, boasting a 3,080 mAh capacity. The battery is also removable, which is a feature that is going by the wayside for the most part, and is great to see here, giving users the option of carrying around a spare. Another hardware aspect that has only been seen with high-end smartphones so far is the availability of USB Type-C, and the device also comes with fast charging capabilities, which is also a first in this segment of the smartphone market.

As far as the camera is concerned, you get an 8 MP rear shooter and a 2 MP front-facing unit. The camera software packs a lot of interesting and useful features, including a selfie mode than can detect when you smile when taking a selfie to automatically take a shot. The camera package also comes with a surprisingly robust manual mode, with granular control over elements like ISO, exposure, and white balance.

On the design front, the device comes with a textured plastic backing which is removable. The somewhat large device is very light however, and despite packing a 5.5-inch display, the one-handed handling experience is quite good, particularly when needing to reach across to the capacitive navigation keys below the display. The back and Recent Apps capacitive keys can also be switched around, depending on which setup you find more convenient.

On the software side of things, the Grand X3 comes with Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box, and the software experience is quite close to stock Android, with only a few customization options added by ZTE. Even with a lower-end processing package, going around the various elements of the user interface seems to be smooth, and the overall experience is very good.

So there you have it for this quick look at the ZTE Grand X3! In the US, the Grand X3 will be available from Cricket Wireless priced at a very affordable $129.99 off-contract. For those of you looking for some high-end features on a phone that is still able to provide a budget-friendly price tag, the ZTE Grand X3 is going to be a great choice.

Stay tuned with Android Authority as we continue to bring you more great hands on coverage from CES 2016!