Are you looking for an affordable way to experience 5G connectivity without compromising on the basics of a smartphone? The ZTE Blade A75 5G, Smart Communications’ first device under their “5G for All” initiative, promises to deliver just that. With a large display, a 50MP camera, and a powerful battery at a budget-friendly price, it sounds like a great deal. But does it truly meet the expectations of a 5G smartphone at this price point, or are there trade-offs that make you reconsider? We tested the device for a few days to find out, and here’s our review.
Unboxing the Smart-labeled package reveals the ZTE Blade A75 5G’s actual phone packaging, with the phone, a TPU case, manuals and other documentation, a 10-watt charging brick, a USB-A to USB-C data and charging cable, a SIM tray ejector tool, and the phone all inside.
It’s worth noting that the device also has the screen protector film separately packed, so you’ll need to put it yourself if you want some extra protection for your display.
Design and Construction
The ZTE Blade A75 5G has a simple design that fits comfortably in hand, with dimensions of 163.6 x 74.9 x 8.6 mm and weighing 206 grams. The phone is neither too heavy nor too light, giving it a solid feel.
The back of the device has a plastic construction, which can show fingerprints but feels durable. It comes in a glossy finish with a mineral shine all over, making it look premium.
The protruding part is the huge circular area for the camera atop, with two lenses laid out and text accompanying it to stand out.
The button placements are convenient, with the power and volume buttons on the right side, easy to reach for one-handed use. The power button has a different color and is flat to the side surface compared to the protruding volume keys, as it also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
The dual-SIM tray is located on the left side of the phone, with SIM1 locked to Smart. While the second SIM slot supports other carriers, it is only limited to calls and texts, and mobile data is restricted to Smart.
The bottom houses the USB Type-C port, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is still a useful feature for many users.
The design is straightforward, with no unnecessary frills. It serves its purpose well for a budget-friendly 5G smartphone.
Display and Audio
The ZTE Blade A75 5G features a 6.6-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1612 x 720 pixels. The 120Hz refresh rate is a nice touch for smooth scrolling and transitions, which adds to the overall user experience. However, the display struggles with outdoor visibility. When used under direct sunlight, especially at high noon, the screen becomes hard to read. The brightness isn’t quite strong enough to combat bright environments.
Indoors, the display performs reasonably well, with decent color reproduction and sharpness for its price range. Watching videos and casual browsing is satisfactory, but the lower resolution can be noticed in more detailed tasks like gaming or reading fine text.
The audio experience is average. The single bottom-firing speaker delivers sound that is adequate for calls and casual media consumption, but it lacks depth and can sound tinny at higher volumes. The presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, though, gives you the option for better audio quality with wired headphones.
Camera
The ZTE Blade A75 5G comes with a dual rear camera setup, including a 50MP main sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor, along with an 8MP front camera.
The camera experience is a mix of hits and misses. Under good lighting conditions, the 50MP main camera can capture decent photos with good detail and color accuracy. The details are good enough to be shared on your social media platforms.
However, the processing speed is slow. After pressing the shutter button, the camera takes a moment to process the image, which can sometimes lead to blurry photos, especially if the subject or your hands move slightly. This makes it less reliable for quick snapshots. I suggest touching the screen to focus on your subject before shooting to achieve the best result. I hope ZTE pushes out an update to fix this concern.
In low-light environments, the camera struggles even more, producing grainy and blurry images unless you hold the phone very still. The 8MP front camera is sufficient for video calls and basic selfies, but it won’t impress you with its detail or sharpness.
Video recording is capped at 4K for the rear camera and 1080p for the front. The video quality is serviceable for casual recording, but it suffers from a lack of stabilization, making handheld videos shaky.
Performance and Connectivity
Powered by the UNISOC Tiger T760 processor with an 8-core CPU running at 2.2GHz and an ARM Mali G57 GPU, the ZTE Blade A75 5G handles everyday tasks smoothly. With 4GB of RAM, along with an additional 4GB of virtual RAM, the phone can surprisingly handle multitasking, browsing, and social media without much lag, even playing Honor of Kings or Mobile Legends at low to medium settings. It doesn’t feel like an entry level phone at all. However, it might start to show limitations with more demanding apps and games such as Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail.
The 128GB UFS 3.1 storage is the vital key to the surprisingly smooth performance of the device. It offers fast read and write speeds, providing good performance when launching apps and transferring files. With about 110GB of usable space, there is enough room for apps, media, and files, although the lack of expandable storage means you’ll need to manage your space carefully over time.
In terms of connectivity, the ZTE Blade A75 5G supports 5G on Smart’s network, which is a big selling point for this budget device. The 5G connectivity allows for faster download and upload speeds, which can be beneficial for streaming and gaming on the go. The limitation, however, is that mobile data access is only available through Smart. The second SIM slot can only be used for calls and texts, which might be a downside for users who prefer more flexibility with their carriers.
Despite that, we have tested Smart’s signal in key areas in Luzon and have found that the network provides adequate connectivity for your mobile browsing needs, peaking at 260Mbps download speed in Banawe, Quezon City. We were out most of the weekend in different locations and were able to capture a lot of speed tests with the phone:
| Banawe, QC | 269 Mbps |
| Marikina City | 221 Mbps |
| Guagua, Pampanga | 168 Mbps |
| Shell of Asia, NLEX – Guiguinto, Bulacan | 94.7 Mbps |
| San Mateo, Rizal | 42.8 Mbps |
| Dasmariñas, Cavite | 20.9 Mbps |
Given that these are 5G speed test results with Smart, the differences in speeds can still be attributed to factors such as the quality of the local 5G infrastructure, network congestion, signal strength, and the density of users in each area. Locations with more advanced 5G infrastructure and less congestion will generally show higher speeds.
Battery and Charging
The ZTE Blade A75 5G comes with a 5000mAh battery, which is one of its stronger points. With this large capacity, the phone can easily last through a full day of moderate use, including browsing, watching videos, and social media usage. If you’re not a heavy user, you might even stretch it to two days on a single charge.
However, the phone only supports 10W wired charging, which is quite slow by modern standards. Charging the phone from 0 to 100% can take around 1.5 to 2 hours, so you’ll need to plan your charging times carefully. While the battery life is solid, the slow charging speed can be a minor inconvenience if you’re used to faster charging times.
The Rundown: Who Is It For?
The Smart ZTE Blade A75 5G is best suited for users looking for an affordable entry into the 5G world, particularly those who are on Smart’s network or willing to switch to it. It’s a good option for casual users who don’t need high-end features but still want a modern smartphone capable of handling daily tasks, browsing, and social media.
