ZTE Axon 40 Ultra and Pro official: camera in display, time of maturity? | China prices

ZTE has made official Axon 40 Ultra and Axon 40 Pro, two components of the range that we imagine is orphan of at least one product, the “standard” Axon 40 which at this point, we assume, will arrive at a later time. Meanwhile, the two flagship smartphones are official, and carry a message that cannot overshadow: has the camera in the display come of age?

The Chinese company was the first to bring an innovation that was long overdue to the market. The display camera debuted with Axon 20 but provided revisable results, the second generation debuting with Axon 30 did better but not so much to gain space in the Ultra or Pro variant. Now, however, with the Axon 40, the under display camera arrives on the most valuable variant, about a product like Axon 40 Ultra that can’t afford mistakes a sign that the company has confidence in the degree of maturity reached by a technology that is difficult to handle through not too convincing attempts.

For the rest Axon 40 Ultra is exactly the product catches glances that the rumors had anticipated a few days ago: thanks to the important curvature on the long sides and the absence of the selfie camera, the display dominates the front surface uncontested, while the opposite view reveals a sober setting with the camera group design, all from 64 MP, rather classic.

Removed the very high maximum brightness value, well 1,500 nit the screen does not offer high-profile specifications: Full HD + resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, probably the result of compromises to ensure adequate “visibility” to the camera behind the panel – after all the Pro variant goes up to 144 Hz of maximum frequency.

The technical specifications of the Axon 40 Ultra are of a high standard, but there are those on the market who do better. It must be said, however, that by converting the price launch in euros from the Chinese currency, the smartphone remains far from the threshold of 1,000 euros in the list: it slightly exceeds 700 euros, while the price and availability of Axon 40 Pro will be announced soon. The hope, as enthusiasts, is that on that occasion there will emerge indications on a possible European availability.

ZTE AXON 40 ULTRA – TECHNICAL FEATURES

• display: 6.8-inch AMOLED with a resolution just above Full HD + (2,480 x 1,116 pixels, 400 ppi density) and 120 Hz refresh rate, 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, 1,500 nits maximum brightness, integral fingerprint reader and selfie camera
• chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen1, 3 GHz maximum frequency and 4 nanometer manufacturing process, vapor chamber cooling
• memories: 8, 12 or 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, 256, 512 GB or 1 TB of UFS 3.1 storage (no microSD)
• cameras:
  • Rear main: Sony IMX787 64MP f / 1.6, 35mm equivalent focal length, OIS and laser autofocus
  • ultra wide rear: Sony IMX787 from 64 MP f / 2.35, 16 mm equivalent focal length, macro up to 4 cm
  • rear tele: 64 MP f / 3.5, 91 mm equivalent focal length, 2.6x zoom, OIS
  • ToF sensor
  • front: 16 MP f / 2.0 26mm (in display)
  • video in 8K at 30 fps
• connectivity: 5G SA / NSA, Wi-Fi 6E ax, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-C 3.1, GPS, Galileo, Beidou
• audio: stereo with DTS: X Ultra
• reader fingerprint: in display
• interface user: MyOS 12 based on Android 12
• drums: 5,000 mAh
  • fast charging: 80 watts
• size: 163.3 x 73.6 x 8.4 mm

ZTE AXON 40 PRO – TECHNICAL FEATURES

• display: 6.67-inch AMOLED with Full HD + resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) and 144Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color space coverage, 1,000 nits maximum brightness
• chip: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, 3.2 GHz maximum frequency and 7 nanometer manufacturing process
• memories: 8 or 12 GB of RAM, 256 0 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage (no microSD)
• cameras:
  • main rear: 100 MP f / 1.89
  • ultra wide rear: 8 MP f / 2.2, 120 degrees, 16 mm equivalent focal length
  • macro rear: up to 4 cm
  • depth rear
  • front: 16 MP
  • video in 4K at 60 fps
• connectivity: 5G SA / NSA, Wi-Fi 6 ax, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-C 3.1, GPS, Galileo, Beidou
• audio: stereo with DTS: X Ultra
• reader fingerprint: in display
• interface user: MyOS 12 based on Android 12
• drums: 5,000 mAh
  • fast charging: 66 watts
• size: 162.9 x 72.9 x 8.5 mm