ZTE Racer review

Is an Android phone for under £100 value for money?

The definitive ZTE Racer review
The definitive ZTE Racer review

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ZTE racer review

The 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera on the ZTE Racer is one of the major letdowns. We didn't have high hopes going in, but we were still really underwhelmed.

There's no hard shutter button, so that taking pictures has to be done on the resistive touchscreen, which means your chances of nailing any moment first time are slim to none.

ZTE racer

We spent ages prodding away at the on-screen capture button, but with no real luck. There's also an exposure meter, which controls how bright your photographs are, but again we struggled to adjust this (and the zoom) effectively using the on-screen controls.

The results are as expected really. Colours are washed out, regardless of the exposure controls and any attempts at capturing moving targets ends in failure:

ZTE racer

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ZTE racer

Click here to see the full res image

ZTE racer

Click here to see the full res image

ZTE racer

Click here to see the full res image

It's able to capture a modest amount of detail, but conditions have to be perfect for this:

ZTE racer

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Taking pictures close-up is an exercise in futility, producing grainy, out of focus results:

ZTE racer

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ZTE racer

Click here to see the full res image

Recent Android phones have also provided an easy roll-out tab with access to the settings, but here you have to go into the menu to access this.

There you'll find white balance options as well as various colour modes and effects. Most of which are useless, with the auto setting providing the best option.

Video recording doesn't offer a better standard either, although the sharing via YouTube, Bluetooth, Messages and Gmail options are straightforward ways of distributing the content.

ZTE racer

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.