The Chinese manufacturer ZTE has presented its new 5G smartphone Axon 11 5G. Initially, the device will only be available in China. However, it is quite possible that the ZTE Axon 11 5G will also be available in other countries or areas in the foreseeable future.
Snapdragon 765G SoC chipset
Unlike the predecessor ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G cell phone, the second generation 5G cell phone ZTE Axon 11 supports 5G dual-mode (SA and NSA), and the new 5G smartphone also supports LTE Cat 20 and other older mobile radio standard. As SoC, the manufacturer relies on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which has so far been used in a few devices such as Xiaomi Redmi K30 5G, Oppo Reno3 Pro 5G, OPPO Find X2 and Realme X50 5G etc... Depending on the model, 6 or 8 GB RAM and 128 or 256 GB internal memory are available.
The battery is 4,000 mAh in size and can be quickly recharged with 18 watts with new energy. Other features include Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, Hi-Res Audio with DTS: X and a fingerprint scanner in the AMOLED display. This measures 6.47 inches in 19.5: 9 format and represents a resolution of FHD + with 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. The 90 Hz display in the curved design is slightly rounded at the edges and also has a waterdrop notch in the top center, which has a selfie camera with 20 megapixel resolution and an aperture of f / 2.0.
Quad camera on the back
A quad camera setup is installed on the back of the 159.2 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm and 168 g ZTE Axon 11 5G. Its four lenses work with 64 megapixels (wide angle with f / 1.89 aperture), 8 megapixels (ultra wide angle with f / 2.2 aperture), 2 megapixels (depth sensor with f / 2.4 aperture) and 2 megapixels (macro with f / 2.4 aperture) .
The ZTE Axon 11 5G with its equipment belongs to the upper middle class. As told before, the ZTE 5G phone will initially only be launched in China. However, it could be bought from online stores. The price is not expensive for the version with 6 and 128 GB. The larger version with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage will cost more but not yet available now. This ZTE 5G phone is a budget one if you want to change 4G phone to 5G.
Here now, the new ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G is available with MediaTek MT6873 Dimensity 800 5G Chipset and cheaper price. We will compare the ZTE Axon 11 and Axon 11 SE 5G in future.
To compete with the Chinese mobile phone manufacturers in middle range smartphone, Samsung introduced two new 5G smartphones to the market: Galaxy A51 5G and Galaxy A71 5G. The two new devices differ primarily by 5G, but not only in this way from the LTE versions. We had introduced the mid-range 5G cell phone from Samsung Galaxy A90, which is a powerful competitor to other 5G phones from Huawei, OPPO, VIVO and Xiaomi. Now the two new Samsung 5G phones brings more opportunity to occupy market share for Samsung worldwide.
The Samsung Galaxy A51 5G is said to cost just under $500, according to Samsung, which is a mid -range 5G smartphone for the money. An octa-core processor with a rate of up to 2.2 GHz works inside the phone. It is supported by either 6 or 8 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. If required, this can be expanded by up to 1 TB using a microSD memory card. The power supply is provided by a 4,500 mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the 4G Galaxy A51. It can be charged with a maximum of 15 watts via USB Type-C.
The front camera sits in a central hole in the 6.5-inch display with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400 pixels. It has a resolution of 32 megapixels. Samsung uses a quad camera on the back. The main sensor has a resolution of 48 megapixels. There is also a wide-angle camera with 12 megapixels and two sensors for macro shooting and depth information, each with 5 megapxels.
The differences between the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G and the Galaxy A71 5G are not too big. The display is somewhat larger at 6.7 inches, but has the same resolution. The CPU and RAM as well as the internal memory are identical. The battery is also the same size, but can be charged even faster with 25 watts. In addition, the camera setup on the back of the device is slightly better. Here the main sensor has a resolution of 64 megapixels, while all other sensors have identical specifications. The price is a little higher around $ 599.
Here now the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is available for sale in the USA and will be available in China in April. When will the Galaxy A51 5G be available is unknown yet.
The Huawei Mobile WiFi 3s has recently become a very affordable mobile LTE router in European countries. The Huawei MiFi 3S, which is also marketed under the model name Huawei E5576-320, can be used with all SIM cards.
Of course, you shouldn't expect high-end equipment at the very reasonable price. For example, there is no display on the front - this is often standard for more expensive 4G LTE hotspots. For this, the Huawei E5576 is very small and handy and can be perfectly carried in your pocket or in your backpack.
The Huawei E5576 is made entirely of plastic and available in black and white. In addition to the device itself, the scope of delivery also includes an approximately ten centimeter long USB to micro-USB cable, a 1,500 mAh battery, a quick start guide and a warranty card. There is no need for a power pack to charge the battery, but you can use any existing USB power pack.
The Huawei E5576 Mobile WiFi 3s hotspot makes a good first impression. The material used feels good and the button for switching on and off on the top has a good pressure point. The back can be easily removed to insert the SIM card (Mini-SIM format, 2FF) and the battery.
At first glance, it is negative that Huawei has not installed any connections for an external cellular antenna and continues to rely on the micro USB standard. USB Type C would have been appropriate here in 2020.
Unlimited SIM cards from Telekom and O2 were used for the test. Unfortunately, the performance in the LTE network via WLAN was very poor. Tested with several end devices, the speed rarely exceeded 20 Mbit/s. In the peak, about 23 Mbit/s in the downlink and about 33 Mbit/s in the uplink could be reached via WLAN.
LTE Modem In the Test
The speeds were significantly better when the Huawei E5576 was connected via USB. Well over 100 Mbit/s in the downlink and almost 50 Mbit/s in the uplink were possible. These measurement results show that the modem can deliver high speeds, but the bottleneck is to be found in the weak WLAN module. In comparison with an expensive high-end LTE hotspot such as the Huawei E5788 and Netgear Nighthawk M2, it also shows that the LTE network can do much more than the small Huawei E5576 gets out of the connection.
The minimum latency (ping) was always well below 20 milliseconds - the small Huawei E5576 hotspot is in no way inferior to much more expensive end devices.
The Huawei E5576 can be used in almost every UMTS and LTE network in Europe, since all important frequency ranges are supported. Incidentally, the modem is not capable of 2G / GSM, which, given the now very good LTE networks, is no longer tragic. The following frequency ranges are supported in detail:
On other continents such as Asia, North America or South America, you have to be prepared for the fact that many LTE networks cannot be used or can only be used to a very limited extent. The Huawei E5576 does not support the frequency bands required for this.
WLAN in the test
The WLAN module of the Huawei E5576 Mobile WiFi 3s works exclusively in the frequency range around 2.4 GHz and can supply up to 16 devices with a WLAN connection at the same time. The WLAN name and password can of course be assigned individually.
Unfortunately, the WLAN module did not do well in the test. The connection was always stable, but as described in the LTE modem test, it was relatively slow. Often, only 73 Mbit/s gross data rate was displayed on the MacBook. The speed is sufficient for normal surfing and video streaming, but the maximum LTE speed of 150 Mbit/s cannot be reached via WLAN. The range was also quite short, there shouldn't be more than one wall between the Huawei E5576 and the end device.
For example, the channel bandwidth can be set via the advanced WLAN settings. There is also the option of setting up an automatic standby mode for the WLAN network when no devices are connected. This helps to save energy.
It is easy to set up a second SSID (guest access). The name, the password and the desired duration for the guest access can be set individually. Huawei offers the options unlimited, 1 day and 4 hours for the duration of guest access.
The WiFi extender is a very interesting function. This means that you can use a different WiFi network than Internet access, for example in a hotel, at a campsite or on the train. This helps to save mobile data volume. There is no noticeable difference for the devices connected to the Huawei E5576, because the WLAN network of the E5576 will of course remain as usual. The WLAN extender is configured either via the web interface or via an app.
Operation and software
The Huawei E5576-320 LTE router can be operated either via the Huawei Smart Home app (for Android and iOS) or via the browser web interface. Right from the first setup, the software offers to change the WiFi password and admin password. Huawei has noted the standard WLAN password both under the battery cover and in the battery compartment.
Since there is no display for operation directly on the device, you have to rely on the corresponding LEDs on the front. These shine in different colors depending on the condition of the battery or depending on the reception and are easy to read. Green LEDs indicate good condition, yellow LEDs indicate poor reception or a weak battery.
Both the web interface and the Huawei Smart Home app offer an attractive, functional design and are easy to use. The web interface can be called up with a device connected to the router via the IP address 192.168.8.1 in the browser. If you use the app, you do not need to enter the IP address. The app is sufficient for most settings, only a few menu items can only be accessed via the web interface, such as the 3G-only mode.
The software of the Huawei mobile WiFi router can be updated via the web interface. If an update is available, the router automatically reports via the web interface.
Battery for up to 6 hours of operation
The battery has a capacity of 1,500 mAh and can be changed by the user without any problems - quite a special feature in today's world. The operating time is specified by Huawei as about 6 hours, this value was confirmed in the test. Depending on the number of connected devices, the operating time may decrease somewhat, but if necessary you can simply buy a replacement battery and thus extend the runtime.
Charging the battery takes about an hour in the test. Operation without an inserted battery, i.e. only via USB power supply, was not possible in the test. The two LEDs flashed red.
Conclusion: good and cheap
The Huawei E5576 Mobile WiFi 3s is one of the cheapest mobile LTE routers. At the cheap price you get a reasonable performance. The well-designed software and simple operation were particularly convincing. The compact design and the removable battery are also positive.
You have to cut back on the weak WLAN performance and the comparatively slow LTE modem. You also have to do without comfort functions such as a display, connections for an external antenna or a memory card. If you don't mind, the Huawei E5576 Mobile WiFi 3s is an LTE hotspot with a good price-performance ratio, which is suitable for normal surfing, checking e-mails and also for occasional video streaming.
Model | Huawei 5G CPE Pro | ZTE MC801 |
Product type | 5G WiFi Router | 5G WiFi Router |
5G Network Mode | NSA/SA | NSA |
Chipset | Balong 5000 | Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 + IPQ8072 + SM8150 |
Standard | 3GPP Release 15 | 3GPP Release 15 |
5G Peak Data rates | DL 2.33Gbps,UL 1.25Gbps | DL 2.22Gbps, UL 211Mbps |
4G Peak Data rates | DL 1.6Gbps, UL 150Mbps | DL 2Gbps/UL 211Mbps |
Variant model | H112-370 and H112-372 | ZTE MC801A |
Supported 5G LTE frequency bands | * Huawei H112-372: n41/n77/n78/n79 * Huawei H112-370: n78 | ZTE MC801: n41/n77/n78/n79 |
Supported 4G LTE frequency bands | * Huawei H112-372: B1/3/5/7/8/18/19/20/28/32/34/38/39/40/41/42/43 * Huawei H112-370: B1/3/5/7/8/18/19/20/28/32/34/38/39/40/41/42/43 | ZTE MC801: 600MHz~3.8GHz |
WLAN | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax(WiFi 6), dual-band | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax(WiFi 6), dual-band |
Max supported users | ? | 128 users |
MIMO | 4 X 4 MIMO | 4 X 4 MIMO |
Antenna | Two, TS-9 connectors | N/A |
Buy Antenna | Huawei 5G CPE Pro External Antenna | N/A |
App management | Huawei SmartHome App | N/A |
SIM Size | NANO SIM | NANO SIM |
Battery | No | No |
Dimensions | 99 × 107 × 215mm | 225 x 154.5 x 87 mm |
Interfaces | * 1 x power adapter port * 1 x WAN / LAN GE port * 1 x LAN GE port * 1 x telephone port(RJ11)(depends) * Two external LTE antenna ports (TS-9 type) * One SIM card slot | * 1 x power adapter port * 2 x LAN GE port * 1 x USB type C port * One SIM card slot |
Datasheet | Huawei 5G CPE Pro Datasheet(PDF) | ZTE MC801 Datasheet(PDF) |
User Manual | Huawei 5G CPE Pro User Manual(PDF) | ZTE MC801 User Manual(PDF) |
Other features | firewall, PIN protection, MAC address filtering, Wi-Fi encryption authentication, VPN tunnel / VPN penetration, IP penetration, IPv6 and IPv6 / IPv4 dual stack, multi-APN, WeBUI, administrator maintenance, HOTA, etc | MAC address filtering, Wi-Fi encryption authentication, VPN, IPv6 support, VoLTE, DMZ, SSID, Guest SSID, Port Forwarding, Watchdog Service, DHCP settings, network selection, APN settings etc. |
Firmware download | Huawei 5G CPE Pro Firmware | ZTE MC801 Firmware |
Review | Huawei 5G CPE Pro Review | ZTE MC801 Review |
Price/USD | 699.00USD | 799.00USD |