Review | ZTE Axon M review: foldable, dual-screen smartphone good for multitasking, but extended view is let down by bulky hinge
Chinese-designed handset’s chunkiness makes it awkward at times and the camera leaves a lot to be desired, but the Axon M’s ability to run two apps side by side is genuinely useful
Most handsets look the same these days in the increasingly overcrowded smartphone market, sporting that same sleek, glass body with slim bezels and dual cameras. ZTE, however, is zigging where everyone is zagging, with a chunky two-screen phone that folds in half.
Design and hardware
The Axon M’s build is all about function over form, with its two 5.2-inch displays linked side-by-side by a bulky, sturdy hinge.
Out of the box, or when placed in your pocket, the two screens are folded outwards, facing opposite directions. This creates a thicker-than-usual device (12.2mm). In this form, you’ll use the Axon M like any other phone, though the thick bezels at the top and bottom of the decent LCD panel make it look really dated.
All the buttons are on the left side of the device. These include volume rockers, a power button with an embedded fingerprint reader, and a third button that is customisable to launch specific apps of the user’s choosing. There is a headphone jack at the top of the device, for those who dislike the inevitable death of the port.
When both screens are extended and become one, you effectively have a 6.75-inch screen to play with. (If you’re wondering why two 5.2-inch screens only add up to 6.75 inches, that is because displays are measured diagonally from corner to corner.)
Curiously, the Axon M is powered by an almost two-year-old Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 821. I suspect this is due to the longer-than-usual development time of the device. Paired with 4GB of RAM, there’s still enough power for most users even in 2018, but this is not a phone whose spec sheet compares favourably to its peers.