(ThyBlackMan.com) If you want a cheap smartphone, ZTE Tempo Go and ZTE Tempo X are the best options available, and the latter can be yours for $29.99. The Tempo Go is the first Android Go smartphone that runs on Snapdragon chip. If you’re asking yourself “Should I buy ZTE Tempo Go?” don’t worry. Here you’ll find all the answers so you can make the right decision.
ZTE Tempo Go Features and Specifications
Performance
Let’s be honest and accept the fact that ZTE Tempo Go is not a performance powerhouse. It’s a decent phone which is suitable for lightweight applications and regular use. If your expectations circle around web browsing, emails, chatting, social media, music, movies and light gaming, Tempo Go won’t disappoint you. But if you want a heavy duty phone that supports performance-heavy games, feature-rich Google Assistant, and runs default versions of all the Android apps, this phone is not for you.
ZTE Tempo Go runs a trimmed-down version of Android Oreo, officially known as Android Oreo Go edition. The Android Go supports lightweight applications and it is capable of running smoothly on smartphones with RAM as low as 512MB. Google has developed light versions of its default apps for Android Go. Some features of these apps have been removed so that the low-end devices can run them.
Hardware
The ZTE Tempo Go gets LTE capability through the Snapdragon 210 chipset. It’s an entry-level processor that comes with a quad-core CPU and Adreno 304 graphics chip. The Tempo Go has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage capacity. You can add a microSD card with memory up to 32GB.
Nowadays when many entry-level smartphones feature selfie camera, the Tempo Go sports a 2MP front camera and a 5MP rear camera with LED flashlight. With a 2200mAh battery on this smartphone, you can expect the Tempo Go to last for a day, or at least from morning to the evening under heavy usage.
Design
With 5-inch TFT display, the ZTE Tempo Go offers 480 x 854 resolution. Along with the curved edges, the phone sports a 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro USB port. ZTE Tempo Go is available in gray color with a non-slippery back panel. There’s a home button tucked at the bottom below the display accompanied by return and menu buttons.
The phone is 9.2mm thick and easy to hold. As far as its overall design is concerned, the material used for its body doesn’t give it a premium look. But it justifies its price tag in terms of how it looks with a 65.8 percent screen-to-body-ratio.
Applications
Technical specifications of the ZTE Tempo Go are not the key. What matters the most is how it functions with Android system. If you are thinking of buying this phone, you’re making a smart choice because Google has released many lightweight applications for the Android Go phones and many developers have added lightweight app versions on the Play Store.
To facilitate the new operating system, Google has added a dedicated app section on Play Store for Go edition of Android Oreo. Applications such as Facebook Lite and Google’s core apps work smoothly on this device. A bunch of applications including Google Assistant Go, Google Go, Gboard Go, Gmail Go, YouTube Go, and Chrome comes preinstalled with the software.
The Verdict
The Android Go platform focuses on two major areas – people who can’t afford to buy expensive mobile phones and people living in countries where 4G technology is comparatively new, internet plans are cheap, and purchasing power is low.
You can’t expect such phones to offer rich HD graphics and powerful performance, but for managing daily life tasks, it’s a decent phone that gets the job done without drilling holes in your pocket. Its sibling Tempo X offers almost the same hardware but runs on Android Nougat and sports a 5-inch IPS LCD display.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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