ZTE Altair 3 (Unlocked, Used)

Product Description

Blackberry may have made a mess of being in the mobile phone business, but they did revolutionize the design of mobile products. The ZTE Altair 3 takes its lead from the great designs which made Blackberry the all-too-brief force it was in the industry. Compact and deceptively light, the close to half-and-half split between display and keyboards works perfectly.

This is a time when we’ve all become accustomed to an on-screen keyboard. It soon dawns on you that hardware keyboards are a sad loss to the smartphone world. To have that real click under your fingertips is just a great feeling. The design of the Altair 3 means it sits well in the palm, without any stretching of the fingers.

The black/chrome combination is very sleek and smart and makes the Altair 3 look like a much more expensive phone than it is. All in all, it’s hard to say anything but good things about the looks or the build quality.

Hardware Specs

The hardware in the ZTE Altair 3 isn’t intended to rival the flagship smartphones out there. Its primary intention is to offer maximum bang for your buck. The processor does a very good job of keeping things moving along nicely. The proprietary operating system is smooth and fast, with no discernible delay between pressing a key and something happening.

The display is very crisp, with a good color rendition. Although maybe not the highest resolution at 320 x 240px, the 2.4″ size keeps everything sharp, without the necessity for battery sucking high resolutions.

If you plan to use the Altair 3 to carry files such as audio or even video, there’s a MicroSD card that can expand the available memory up to an extra 32GB.

The camera is 2MP, making it perfect for snaps on the go or those all-important selfies.

Connectivity

Although not designed as an all-in internet accessing device, the Altair 3 has 3G connectivity so offers good data speeds if you need them. Bluetooth is also available. This means easy and quick connections to accessories such as speakers or headphones. It also means the phone can be quickly paired to any in-car handsfree system. With the increased attention on people using phones while driving, this is a great option to have,

Summary

The ZTE Altair 3 is the perfect phone for those who want something stylish and effective. It is also for those who don’t need the huge hardware or contract costs that come with a smartphone. Calls and texts are the heart and soul of the Altair 3. Both are a much more efficient exercise by way of the excellent hardware QWERTY keyboard.

For the cost of the Altair 3, you could do a lot worse. You would, though need to look a long time before doing very much better.