It’s mid-range mobile madness this week, and ZTE is the latest to announce an affordable Android smartphone option, the Concord 2. ZTE will be selling the Concord 2 through T-Mobile from today, and MetroPCS from May 19. The phone’s arrival comes very soon after Motorola launched the Moto E, a $130 Android 4.4 phone, and a 4G LTE version of the Moto G. Both are tough acts to follow, so what’s ZTE giving us?
The Concord 2 has a 4-inch display with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution, and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which is disappointing. The processor driving the phone is a Snapdragon 200 running at 1.2GHz, and there’s 1GB of RAM along with 4GB of internal storage space. This is the same as the Moto E. Where the Concord 2 improves over the Motorola phone is with the camera, which has 5-megapixels and an LED flash, a feature lacking on the Moto E.
The feature list continues with a MicroSD card slot, an 1820mAh battery for six hours of talktime, almost no Android customization, plus a dual microphone setup for improved call quality. The phone, which apparently has a chassis partly made from aluminum, measures 10.9mm thick and weighs 124 grams. If you’re wondering why you should select the Concord 2 over the Moto E, then the presence of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ connectivity may sway you. If you’re set on a 4G Motorola phone, the new LTE Moto G has been priced at $220, and comes with an improved specification over the ZTE phone and the Moto E.
We’re still waiting for confirmation of the ZTE Concord 2’s price when connected to T-Mobile, although we know it won’t have any up front cost at all. If you select MetroPCS, then expect to pay $40 per month on its no-contract plan.