ZTE Blade 3 review

Battery life

The ZTE Blade 3 comes equipped with a pretty standard 1,600mAh battery, but that's not a big issue considering its single-core processor and low-resolution display.

That puts the Blade 3 pretty much on par with the HTC Desire C, Huawei Ascend G330 and Samsung Galaxy Ace 2.

With moderate use we were able to eek out a full day without breaking a sweat, and with minimal use the Blade 3 will keep on going for a couple of days between charges.

As with any smartphone these days the more you use your handset the quicker the battery will drain, but the lowly processor comes to the Blade 3's aid some what as it puts you off performing overly intensive tasks as the phone struggles slightly with graphical demanding games and applications.

You can remove the battery from the Blade 3, allowing you to swap out a dead battery for a fully charged one if you're that way inclined.

The battery doesn't obstruct access to the microSD slot also found under the rear cover, but you'll need to pop it out to get to the SIM card, but it's unlikely you'll be changing that on a regular basis.

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity the ZTE Blade 3 has all the major bases covered from 3G and Wi-Fi to A-GPS, Bluetooth and a microUSB port.

We've already mentioned the microSD port located under the rear cover, which can support cards up to 32GB in size which will build on the 4GB of internal storage provided in the Blade 3.

You can also turn the Blade 3 into a wireless hotspot, allowing you to easily share your mobile data connection with other devices such as tablets and laptops.

There's no NFC option available on the Blade 3, but we're not really surprised as the majority of entry-level handsets overlook the contactless technology.