OnePlus 9 Pro camera system schooled by the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra

(Image credit: ZTE)

published 16 April 2021

The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra provides photographic features to eclipse some of the best smartphones on the market, including recent models from OnePlus, Xiaomi and Samsung. Announced today, the flagship photography smartphone features three 64MP cameras and an 8MP telephoto camera with a 5x zoom. This will allow it to cover everything from ultra-wide 13mm to the close-up 123mm. Through digital zoom and post-capture cropping, this provides up to a 60x zoom range.

All three 64MP cameras support a Super Night AI algorithm to achieve better nighttime shots and a special Super Moon mode makes use of multiple cameras to magnify the moon in the scene, for an appearance it describes as 'more natural to the human eye'.

In addition to the still photography, the Axon 30 Ultra supports 8K video shooting at 30fps and a multi-camera filming function to record up to three focal lengths at the same time. The main f/1.6 camera and telephoto lens have optical image stabilization (OIS) to provide smoother video capture.

The Axon 30 Ultra features a 6.67-inch AMOLED FHD+ (2400x1080) display with an adaptive 144Hz refresh rate and a punch hole for the front 16MP camera. It also supports both HDR 10 and HDR 10+. Inside is the Snapdragon 888 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB, though this is upgradeable to 12GB RAM and maximum storage of 1TB. The Axon 30 Ultra runs on MyOS11, which is based on Android 11 and supports Wi-Fi 6, NFC and 5G.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra is that it is due for a global release, including North America. Previous Axon models have not been available in the USA and the two other phones launched – the Axon 30 Pro and Axon 30 – will only be available in China.

The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra goes on sale in China on April 19 from ￥4698 ($720 / £523 / AU$929). The international edition is due to go on sale in May, with prices to be confirmed.

As T3's Editor-in-Chief, Mat Gallagher has his finger on the pulse for the latest advances in technology. He has written about technology since 2003 and after stints in Beijing, Hong Kong and Chicago is now based in the UK. He’s a true lover of gadgets, but especially anything that involves cameras, Apple, electric cars, musical instruments or travel.