ZTE unveils the Blade V7 range

Budget friendly: The Blade V7 series features full metal body and fingerprint sensor which are rare for smartphones below the RM1,000 price mark. ROHAIZAT MD DARUS/The Star.

Metal body and fingerprint sensor used to be a rarity for budget smartphones but not anymore – ZTE is the latest to launch affordable Androids with both features.

Two models – the Blade V7 Lite and V7 Max – were launched that cost under RM1,000 each.

“As Malaysians move rapidly towards digital mobility, ZTE is committed to continually support and provide innovative, affordable and quality products that meet the needs of this market,” said ZTE’s devices group CEO for Southeast Asia, Jeremy Zhao.

The company hopes to increase its market share in Malaysia from 3% to 5% by end of this year and 10% by 2018, he said  

The entry-level Blade V7 Lite sports a thin frame (7.9mm) and features a 5in 720p display that curves all the way to the sides.

Crafted in Munich Design Centre in Germany, the design for the V7 Lite was inspired by raindrops which is represented by the circular design and smooth aluminium alloy body.

The main attraction is the rear fingerprint sensor – the company claims that it will unlock the device in just 0.3 seconds.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek MTK6735P 1.3GHz quad-core processor, has 2GB RAM and runs on Android Marshmallow.

It also has 13-megapixel rear camera with dual flash, 8-megapixel front-facing shooter, 16GB internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD) and 2,500mAh battery.

On the other hand, the V7 Max has a bigger 5.5in full-HD display which is also curved.

Unlike its smaller sibling, the fingerprint sensor on the V7 Max is located on the right side below the power button.

The sensor on both devices can also be used for scrolling pages in apps.

The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 1.8GHz octa-core processor, has 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage (expandable with microSD) and also runs on Android Marshmallow.

It also has a 16-megapixel rear camera, 6-megapixel front-facing camera, 3,000mAh battery and USB Type-C connector.

For a limited time, the V7 Lite will go for RM499 instead of the normal price of RM699, and will be available from May 16.

The V7 Max will retail for RM999 when it is available at the end of the month.

Prices are inclusive of GST.