ZTE Z331
This is the worst phone i've ever owned.
This phone is inferior in every way to a phone i got for free for signing a 2yr contract....TEN years ago.
Like that digest for a minute.
It's also worse than the phone I have 15 years ago except this one's camera is better, and has more memory with an installed card, which is to be expected.
Within a couple months of owning this phone the exterior display window has totally failed. There is no display whatsover.
All the controls are completely contrary to common sense, with menus requiring you to push multiple buttons to do the simplest things, while the single button shortcuts aren't indicated.
The text message dictionary is atrocious, requiring you to enter even the simplest words on your own.
If you type a word, select it from the list of possible word choices, then add a period, it reverts to whatever was on the top of the previous list, often times an incomplete word, and rarely the word you wanted.
If you want to add numbers, you must change the typing style to a number only style, add the numbers, then revert back to the spelling style.
Often times I want to smash this phone into the ground.
hide detailed ratings
Okay, but it needs more work.
This phone is an okay phone. I bought it because my old phone got bent and broken. The volume buttons are placed lower than normal, which can be uncomfortable for left-handed users. I've got okay reception in my area (3 out of 5 bars).
PROS:
Large display: 240x320
Bright external display
Nice volume
Hold the corresponding key to input numbers when in T9/Multitap
Micro SD/TransFlash Card Slot
App switcher (Above the "1" key)
CONS:
The spring is a bit tight
Matte backplate can have dirt stick to it
Accidentally pressing buttons when opening the phone, which activates functions that may cost money
Sluggish UI
Confusing battery meter display
SD card is under the battery, so you have to power off the phone to fix card errors
Sometimes keys don't respond to presses
On the confusing battery display, the battery was at 4 bars (full) at the start of the day, dropped to 1 bar 4 hours later, then dropped to 0 bars 7 hours after that. The sluggish UI is what really gets me off about this phone. With that being said, I would rather use the Z520, which has worse hardware but it is a hell of a lot quicker than this!
