ZTE Maven - An Affordable #Android Cellphone #Giveaway

The new, affordable, ZTE Maven came to AT&T recently and I was sent one to check out and share my thoughts about it with you!

First, out of the box, it feels like a substantial handset. It looks good and my tweens were instantly ON me checking it out.

This cellphone is priced at $59.99 and is part of AT&T's Go Phone lineup. At that price, it is perfect for those who want an Android device, but do not want to shell out hundreds of dollars. It also makes a great device to get if you damage your phone and need a replacement quickly (which is what actually happened to me!).

I will start out saying that I put very few apps on this phone. I used it sparingly. It only has 8GB of storage space with half of that used for system memory.

There is the ability to add an extra SD card to increase storage.

I personally think this is a HUGE bonus. Many higher end phones do not have this option and it is one that really makes me consider a phone. With so many wonderful Android apps.... not to mention photos that are taken, memory space is huge. So grab an extra micro-SD and pop it into this phone!

I was very impressed with the battery. With a  2,100mAh battery, I was able to use it for two days without recharging. Most of the time it was just in locked standby mode, and I did not use it for much web browsing or gaming but I was still extremely impressed. 

The camera is one area in which I was a little disappointed in. I understand this is an inexpensive phone, but most people with smartphones want to use it as a camera. The camera has a 5MP rear camera and a 0.3 MP front camera.  While there are nice optional controls, such as pro-mode, the pictures just leave a lot to be wanted.

As you can see in this photo of my son, Nolyn, the quality is grainy and there is a huge loss of detail. This was taken on the auto setting. 

When I attempted to take photos of moving objects (kittens) I found it impossible to get a decent picture. All that I was able to capture was a blur.

The Maven from ZTE runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and is compatible with AT&T's LTE 4G network. The ZTE Maven that I have says it is running Android 5.1 currently, though.

Phone calls are good quality, I had no issue with them whatsoever. The signal strength did seem a little deceptive. I would often show full bars, but then I couldn't make a call- and when I looked at my other AT&T phone it wouldn't have service.

Overall, I think this is the perfect phone for tweens/teens or those who do not want to shell out a ton of cash for a phone, just know it's limitations and love this phone for what it is! The value is there for the price.

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