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Smart Brings 5G to the Masses in Partnership with ZTE!

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And you bet we are going to review it!

For the average Filipino, Smart is a brand that resonates with many as one of three largest telecoms companies in the Philippines, the mobile arm of PLDT. Back in 2016, they partnered with My|Phone, a local smartphone brand, to create an affordable LTE phone for all. Fast forward 8 years later, they are back. This time with the goal of releasing a 5G smartphone to the masses, in partnership with ZTE (doing business as Nubia Philippines).

According to Smart, most budget 5G phones are still expensive for the average Filipino, starting about 9-10K and that only about 10% of the entire Philippine population has a 5G-enabled device. Hence why they launched an event announcing this new 5G phone for the masses. Priced at an affordable PHP 5,450. The device in question is the ZTE Blade A75 5G, and it is a CHONKER.

“Price remains the biggest barrier for many Filipinos to upgrade to a 5G smartphone. We aim to break that barrier with the Smart ZTE Blade A75 5G, which is quite a steal considering its features and inclusions. Now, there’s no more reason to hold off upgrading to a 5G device and enjoying a differentiated experience in terms of ultrafast speeds, reliable coverage, and ultra-low latency,”  Alex O. Caeg, Head of Smart Consumer Wireless Business said.

In spite of it being SIM-locked, it is quite a staggered device on paper. Where else can you find a sub-6K phone with UFS 3.1 storage? We don’t want to spoil our viewers any longer because there are more things to come than just good connectivity for this phone. Stay tuned!

The phone has a glossy plastic back but it’s well-designed and mimics glass almost 1:1. It also features a humongous circular camera island housing the 50MP Omnvision OV50B sensor and 2MP depth camera. At the front, you can find an 8MP selfie camera

The phone has a USB-C port with 10W charging. Speaking of charging, the Blade A75 5G features a 5000mAh battery. Typical things you’d find on a budget phone.

The phone is only SIM-locked to the first slot, so you can use the 2nd slot for any SIM you decide. When you insert the SIM, don’t forget to register it to activate it.

The retail box features the telco’s special wrap listing the specs and the 5G-ready SIM’s features. Underneath the wrap is the regular Blade A75 5G box which contains the aforementioned SIM Card, SIM ejector tool, screen protector, jelly case, charger, and of course, the phone itself.

You might be wondering what chipset it uses. Unlike other budget 5G phones, ZTE opted to use the UNISOC Tiger T760 chipset. It’s supposed to rival the MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chipset. However if you dig deep, the chipset is far more powerful. If the UFS 3.1 storage doesn’t convince you, then its 4+4 setup will. It comprises four Cortex-A76 performance CPU clocked at 2.21GHz and four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores at 2GHz. This chipset also uses a Mali-G57 MP4 GPU, so it means it can handle some stiff tasks and games at least on low graphics.

The phone has a 6.6″ 120Hz HD+ IPS LCD screen and supposedly enhanced audio. Well… we doubt that but we’ll see.

Finally, the phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, painted red. It boots with MyOS (not to be confused with Motorola’s MyUI) based on Android 14.

The phone is exclusively available through Smart’s physical and online stores. When you get it, you’d also get a Prepaid bundle consisting of a 5G Smart SIM Card, 5GB open access data, 300 allnet texts, 30 minutes of allnet calls valid for 3 days upon activation, as well as 8GB Unli TikTok with unli text valid for 7 days, available once a month for a period of 3 months. It’s quite the package, and it’s affordable at that.

Now, the phone’s signal and latency will depend on the area you’re in. So it will flicker in areas with weak signal, or will be limited to just LTE in areas without 5G.

You don’t have to pay for the entire ?5,450 if you can’t afford it. Smart is allowing alternative payment options. For instance, you can get the Blade A75 5G on a 6-month installment plan, for PHP 908.33 per month at 0% interest. You can avail of this plan through Smart’s online store or physical stores nationwide.

Again, stay tuned for the review!

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