{"id":237493,"date":"2021-04-28T16:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2021-04-28T16:00:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-28T13:00:52","slug":"the-mediocre-contender-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"#The Mediocre Contender \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2739926465c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2739926465c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#Heres_What_We_Like\" >Here&#8217;s What We Like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#And_What_We_Dont\" >And What We Don&#8217;t<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#Table_of_Contents\" >Table of Contents<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#An_Impressive_Spec_Sheet\" >An Impressive Spec Sheet<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#Some_Elegant_Hardware\" >Some Elegant Hardware<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#By_The_Books_Software\" >By The Books Software<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#The_Cameras_Versatile_Yet_Underwhelming\" >The Cameras: Versatile, Yet Underwhelming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#Heres_What_We_Like-2\" >Here\u2019s What We Like<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-mediocre-contender-review-geek\/#And_What_We_Dont-2\" >And What We Don&#8217;t<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#The Mediocre Contender \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content-area\">\n<div class=\"single-review-card\">\n<div class=\"review-card-heading\">\n<div class=\"rating\">Rating:<br \/>\n<strong>6\/10<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong class=\"more-info-hover\">?<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong class=\"rating-info\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 &#8211; Absolute Hot Garbage<\/li>\n<li>2 &#8211; Sorta Lukewarm Garbage<\/li>\n<li>3 &#8211; Strongly Flawed Design<\/li>\n<li>4 &#8211; Some Pros, Lots Of Cons<\/li>\n<li>5 &#8211; Acceptably Imperfect<\/li>\n<li>6 &#8211; Good Enough to Buy On Sale<\/li>\n<li>7 &#8211; Great, But Not Best-In-Class<\/li>\n<li>8 &#8211; Fantastic, with Some Footnotes<\/li>\n<li>9 &#8211; Shut Up And Take My Money<\/li>\n<li>10 &#8211; Absolute Design Nirvana<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<p>Price: <strong>$440<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79381 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e7e44edc-5.jpg?width=1200\" alt=\"ZTE Axon 20 5G facedown on a stone wall\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" data-credittext=\"Eric Schoon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Eric Schoon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>ZTE may not be a household name, but the Axon 20 is a notable phone regardless. This is the first phone to release with an under-display selfie camera, but it doesn\u2019t stop there\u2014the Axon 20 has multiple things going for it that could make a great entry in the mid-range Android market.<\/p>\n<div class=\"review-card-body-inline\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"pros\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_What_We_Like\"><\/span>Here&#8217;s What We Like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Premium design<\/li>\n<li>Good Performance<\/li>\n<li>Unique selfie cam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cons\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_What_We_Dont\"><\/span>And What We Don&#8217;t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>90 Hz mode stutters<\/li>\n<li>Unclear software updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With an impressive display, decent internals, 5G connection, and a versatile camera array, the Axon 20 sounds like a great phone. Throw in the unique selfie cam and you\u2019ve suddenly got an attention-grabber on your hands. So let\u2019s see if the Axon 20 is actually worthy of the attention.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Table_of_Contents\"><\/span>Table of Contents<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"An_Impressive_Spec_Sheet\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"moka_anchor_specs\">An Impressive Spec Sheet<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>When you get the Axon 20 in your hands, it can certainly trick you into thinking it cost more than it does. It runs smoothly, uses premium materials, and when you glance at the specs you\u2019ll see that there\u2019s a lot to happy about here.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Processor:<\/strong> Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G<\/li>\n<li><strong>RAM:<\/strong>\u00a06GB, 8GB (reviewed)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Storage:<\/strong>\u00a0128GB + MicroSD card slot<\/li>\n<li><strong>Display:<\/strong>\u00a06.92 inches 1080 x 2460 90 Hz OLED<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cameras:<\/strong>\u00a064 MP wide, 8 MP ultrawide, 2 MP macro, 2 MP depth; 32 MP selfie cam (under display)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ports and charging:<\/strong>\u00a0USB-C<\/li>\n<li><strong>Battery:<\/strong>\u00a04220mAh<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fingerprint Sensor:<\/strong>\u00a0In-display<\/li>\n<li><strong>Connectivity:\u00a0<\/strong>Wi-Fi a\/b\/g\/b\/ac, 2.4GHz\/5GHz; MIMO; Bluetooth 5.1; NFC<\/li>\n<li><strong>IP Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0N\/A<\/li>\n<li><strong>Colors:<\/strong>\u00a0Glass-back or Eco-Leather<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dimensions:<\/strong> 172.1 x 77.9 x 8 mm; 198g<\/li>\n<li><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$440<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Looking at comparable phones like the Pixel 4a 5G and Samsung Galaxy A52, the Axon 20 puts up quite a fight. The specs are identical, if not better than the competitors, with 8GB of RAM and an octa-core Snapdragon 765G powering it all. It also features 30W wired fast charging\u00a0which outpaces most phones in the price range.<\/p>\n<p>Throw in some good camera specs and, on paper, the Axon 20 looks like quite the deal. However, whether it lives up to that in practical use is another question.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_Elegant_Hardware\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"moka_anchor_hardware\">Some Elegant Hardware<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79382 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/156005c5-2.jpg\" alt=\"ZTE Axon 20 5G held up against flowering plant\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" data-credittext=\"Eric Schoon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Eric Schoon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Axon 20 continues its premium feel with an all-glass back that looks nice until the inevitable reckoning of fingerprints. At least the display looks great with the deep blacks and vibrant colors you\u2019d expect out of an OLED. And at 6.92 inches, you have plenty of screen real estate to work with here. The fingerprint scanner is also built into the display, and I never had issues with it misreading my print.<\/p>\n<p>Similar praise can be given to the facial recognition , which was quick to set up and even quicker to function. It only works once the screen has been turned on, but afterward, it was fairly accurate when reading my face, even from a variety of angles. This is solely done through the selfie cam, there\u2019s no depth sensor for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/403453\/why-face-id-is-much-more-secure-than-androids-face-unlock\/\">added <\/a><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/403453\/why-face-id-is-much-more-secure-than-androids-face-unlock\/\">security<\/a>, which was evident considering it was fooled by an image of me. I wouldn\u2019t recommend using this as the only method of security, but it\u2019s still a fast way of unlocking the phone. But this is a good time to talk about the selfie camera though, as it\u2019s one of the more notable features of this phone.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of the common \u201chole-punch\u201d design, you see on phones like the Pixel 5, ZTE took to hiding the selfie cam underneath the main display. I was impressed at how seamless it was, you can only notice the camera if you\u2019re looking at the phone from a shallow angle or when it\u2019s displaying very bright colors around the camera. This frees up the entire display which is something I\u2019ve never seen on a phone before and definitely made this great for viewing media.<\/p>\n<p>The front speakers are also located under the display, and while they won\u2019t blow you away they sound fine enough for a phone call or quick music session\u2014they can get pretty loud as well.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79383 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/799bad5a-2.jpg\" alt=\"ZTE Axon 20 5G sitting on a stone wall\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" data-credittext=\"Eric Schoon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Eric Schoon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another premium feature the Axon 20 sneaks in is a 90 Hz refresh rate for a silky smooth user experience\u2026 in theory. Any time I used the Axon 20 in 90 Hz mode performance issues started cropping up. Stutters were a somewhat frequent occurrence, which ruins the whole point of a high refresh rate. While 90 Hz is a nice thing to offer, it feels like neither the software nor hardware were optimized well enough to back it up.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t let that get you down, because in the default 60 Hz mode things were smooth sailing for the most part. Even when having multiple apps open and switching between them frequently the Axon 20 kept up with it all well\u2014for everyday use, this phone knocks it out of the park.<\/p>\n<p>You shouldn\u2019t have an issue using it all day either, In my experience, the 4220mAh battery was more than enough for a full day of use, but I also don\u2019t usually do anything battery intensive. But even if you are putting the phone through the wringer, then the 30W fast charging is here to save the day. This can bring the phone from zero to 50% in just 30 minutes, so as long as you\u2019re near a 30W charger (like the stock charger included), battery life shouldn\u2019t be a concern.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"By_The_Books_Software\"><\/span>By The Books Software<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79419 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/3e6b83e1.jpg\" alt=\"Collage of photos displaying MiFlavor 10.5 homescreen, app drawer, and settings app. \" width=\"1600\" height=\"1214\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Homescreen; Middle: Settings app; Right: App drawer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Axon 20 uses MiFlavor 10.5\u2014ZTE\u2019s own version of Android. MiFlavor keeps things pretty simple though, it\u2019s mostly stock Android with a few inconsequential visual touches. If you\u2019re a big fan of stock Android you should be happy, but if you\u2019re looking for something more unique, MiFlavor doesn\u2019t have much in the way of new features. While the settings app and some UI elements have been changed, in practicality it\u2019s mostly the same Android you know and love, for better or worse.<\/p>\n<p>At least it runs well enough; MiFlavor is fairly quick to boot and I never came across any bugs while using it. It\u2019s certainly not the fastest build of Android out there but it\u2019s more than serviceable. And frankly, I appreciate the launcher playing it safe and sticking close to stock Android rather than experiment with a ton of new features that might clutter things up.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest issue with the Axon 20\u2019s software is the updates\u2014we don\u2019t know if they exist. ZTE has not announced how many updates this will phone will receive and it hasn\u2019t even gotten Android 11 yet. It is consistently receiving Google\u2019s monthly security patches, but this sort of uncertainty when it comes to software updates will only become a bigger issue as time goes on .<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Cameras_Versatile_Yet_Underwhelming\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"moka_anchor_cameras\">The Cameras: Versatile, Yet Underwhelming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79384 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/d0096ec6-2.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of ZTE Axon 20 5G camera array\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" data-credittext=\"Eric Schoon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Eric Schoon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Axon 20 boasts a nice four-camera array on the back, including wide, ultrawide, macro, and depth lenses, along with the previously mentioned under-display selfie cam\u2014in fact, let\u2019s start there. For a 32 MP selfie cam, the quality you get out of it is alright, but nothing special. As you can see below, the detailing and color are a bit off (which we\u2019ll see more of soon), and when using the camera\u2019s portrait mode, a lot of the lighting and detail was drained out of the image. Functional enough for a quick selfie, but I wouldn\u2019t rely on it for great pictures<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/1f92383c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79861\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/1f92383c-e1619487140407-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Selfie taken with ZTE Axon 20 5G's front camera portrait mode\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79862\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/5dafb779-1-e1619487913525-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Selfie taken with ZTE Axon 20 5G front camera\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><small>Left: Front camera, portrait mode on; Right: Front camera, normal mode. Click for full size.<\/small><\/p>\n<p>Turning to the rear camera, things are better, but still full of the issues that most phones in this price range have when it comes to photography. In strong lighting you can get some legitimately good shots out of this phone; the portrait mode looks pretty good, the macro sensors are decent, and the main, 64 MP wide lens isn\u2019t half bad either. On the other hand, the digital zoom isn\u2019t that great and the colors are something else a lot of the time. The Axon 20\u00a0<em>really\u00a0<\/em>likes saturated colors\u2014green especially. As you can see from the images below this results in varying quality a lot of the time. If there are a lot of colors present things are better, but if it\u2019s just a green field like the one you see in the top right things don\u2019t look so hot.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79852\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/45f45983-e1619487035958-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of flowering bush taken by ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79851\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/4c2aaf9a-e1619487072188-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of garden taken by ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79853\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/f8899a64-e1619487084968-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a tree taken by ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79850\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/2e36af2b-e1619487058349-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a green field taken by ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><small>All taken in broad daylight in the span of 10 minutes with the normal wide lens. Click for full size.\u00a0<\/small><\/p>\n<p>Regardless , the phone\u2019s at its best when outdoors in the bright sun which you can see above. The details are there when you zoom in and the lighting isn\u2019t that off from the real world. The inconsistency makes it difficult to rely on this camera though, while some images look great others are far too bright or saturated.<\/p>\n<p>But when it\u2019s dark out, things get bleaker; even with the phone\u2019s night mode on the pictures look messy. I actually think night mode made images look worse than normal, often erasing what little detail was there in the first place. And even now, it\u2019s saturating the green in the below shots way too much.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79865\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/6bde688d-e1619487627956-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Shot of a tree at night taken with ZTE Axon 20 5G &quot;Night Mode&quot;\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/237dc2c7-e1619487588272-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Shot of a tree at night taken by ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><small>Left: Night mode on; Right: Night mode off. Click for full size.<\/small><\/p>\n<p>Turning over to the portrait mode, I think it balances the amount of bokeh it uses well. I definitely had some trouble getting it to focus on the correct object, but once it did things look good\u2014the vibrant colors definitely work better in this picture below than the others I took. And if you look at the right photo, you\u2019ll see the macro lens in use, which can get some good close-up shots, but you\u2019ll have to work for them\u2014like the portrait mode, getting it to focus on what you want can take a while.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79867\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/d4134d16-e1619487745515-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Shot of flowers using ZTE Axon 20 5G portrait mode\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/bd046b32-e1619487721262-259x345.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of flower using ZTE Axon 20 5G macro lens\" width=\"345\" height=\"460\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><small>Left: Portrait mode on, wide lens; Right: Macro lens. Click for full size.<\/small><\/p>\n<p>So when it comes to photos, things are alright\u2014nothing special, but nothing outright bad. What about the video though? This phone is capable of 4K, 60 FPS footage and it looks pretty good. The footage was smooth, but since you can\u2019t use camera stabilization in 60 FPS it was difficult to get good shots. The stabilization used in 30 FPS looks good though; as you can see below it still has some shake to it (especially when I almost trip face-first into the road)\u00a0but it\u2019s definitely enough for some simple recordings\u2014it\u2019s a shame it couldn\u2019t be used at both frame rates.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rrV9qQglsk0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The versatile camera array the Axon 20 includes is great to see, but not exactly uncommon at the price point. The Galaxy A52 and OnePlus Nord offer similar versatility, and the Pixel 4a manages to beat them all with just two lenses thanks to Google\u2019s incredible software. The camera on this phone is enough to be satisfied by, but you\u2019ll be by no means get excited about it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-79385 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/032b2cc9-2.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up of the Axon 5G logo on the ZTE Axon 20 5G\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" data-credittext=\"Eric Schoon\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Eric Schoon<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>All said and done, the Axon 20 is a pretty good mid-range Android phone. At under $500 it packs in some impressive specs and a great display, along with a workable camera array. However, the issue is that it\u2019s too much like other mid-range Android phones to stand out, and there are mighty competitors to contend with nowadays. Google, Samsung, and OnePlus have all released phones in this price range with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/59934\/google-pixel-4a-5g-review-if-i-could-id-take-away-the-5g-part\/\">Pixel 4a 5G, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.samsung.com%2Fus%2Fsmartphones%2Fgalaxy-a-series%2F%3FmodelCode%3DSM-A526UZKDXAA&amp;key=204a528a336ede4177fff0d84a044482\">Samsung Galaxy A52<\/a>, and OnePlus Nord that are also really great options.<\/p>\n<p>The most direct comparison is certainly the Pixel 4a 5G which only costs around $50 more than the Axon 20. The specs are nearly identical, but outside of that things start to look less favorable for the Axon. The Pixel line is praised for its best-in-class cameras\u2014the software magic Google manages with computational photography boosts the 4a 5G\u2019s camera far above the Axon 20. And when it comes to software and updates, you\u2019re receiving them directly from Google which means they\u2019ll release quickly and are guaranteed until 2023\u00a0. This is all without mentioning the less expensive Pixel 4a, which while slightly less powerful and lacking a 5G connection, still outpaces the Axon 20 in terms of software and cameras.<\/p>\n<p>The Axon 20 doesn\u2019t do much wrong, the issue is that its competitors are so good that it needs to do a lot more than merely be decent. The only thing that the Axon 20 offers which makes it stand out is the under-display selfie cam, which while cool is far from a selling point. If you pick up this phone you\u2019ll receive a good product, and you likely won\u2019t have any major issues with it. But your money would be better spent elsewhere\u2014which makes it a phone I <em>could\u00a0<\/em>recommend to anyone, but I really feel like I shouldn\u2019t. Let\u2019s hope the upcoming Axon 30 Ultra 5G is a bit better.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-review-card border\">\n<div class=\"review-card-body\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"pros\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Heres_What_We_Like-2\"><\/span>Here\u2019s What We Like<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Premium design<\/li>\n<li>Good Performance<\/li>\n<li>Unique selfie cam<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cons\">\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"And_What_We_Dont-2\"><\/span>And What We Don&#8217;t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>90 Hz mode stutters<\/li>\n<li>Unclear software updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nsetTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('init', '1137093656460433');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/76855\/zte-axon-20-5g-review-the-mediocre-contender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#The Mediocre Contender \u2013 Review Geek&#8221; Rating: 6\/10 ? 1 &#8211; Absolute Hot Garbage 2 &#8211; Sorta Lukewarm Garbage 3 &#8211; Strongly Flawed Design 4 &#8211; Some Pros, Lots Of Cons 5 &#8211; Acceptably Imperfect 6 &#8211; Good Enough to Buy On Sale 7 &#8211; Great, But Not Best-In-Class 8 &#8211; Fantastic, with Some Footnotes&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":237494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2021\/04\/e7e44edc-5.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}