Econet last month introduced a new smartphone deal targeting first time smartphone users; a ZTE V795 Android smartphone for just $55. Late last year Econet introduced the Huawei Ascend Y220 targeting the same market segment and we are guessing the Y220 has sold out and the ZTE V795 is the replacement.
Chinese telecoms company ZTE released the ZTE V795 in 2013 running with specs more or less similar to those of the Huawei Ascend Y220. The similarities are on the 3.5″ TFT touch screen display, both are running on Android 2.3.6 Ginger bread and both dual core processor powered.
There isn’t much material in terms of reviews, but judging from the specs, the ZTE V795 likely performs within the range of the Huawei Ascend Y220. This means with limited RAM and Storage space (256 mb and 512 mb respectively), users will be limited on the number of apps they can have on the device.
Econet has said the device will not come with a memory card which means anyone other than a first time smartphone user will be frustrated by it because some of your handy apps will not run on it. Provided that the ZTE V795 has no bloatware, adding a memory card may just allow users to add three or four low spec apps to the limited app space. But then, at $55, we have to remember this is an ultra low cost smartphone.
In October 2013, ZTE announced the latest upgrade to the ZTE V795 called the ZTE v795 II. The updated version runs on Android 4.2 and has 512 RAM to allow more apps to run on it.
From the looks of it, the ZTE V795 is not a bad phone, in fact, the hope with such low priced devices is to increase the smartphone penetration which Econet estimates to be 10% on their network. However, the device is designed for first time smartphone users, anyone else will hate it.
image credit: androidpixel.com
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46 comments
This is absurd….lol!!! Internal Storage 256 mb and 512 mb We have to snub such attempt to persuade a gullible public to spend their tad money on overhyped and totally useless phones.
MTN has a prepaid deal for just R450 for Y220 yet our own Econet sell it for 70 unotoshaya kuti zviri kufamba sei
[…] Read this article: Econet selling a ZTE V795 entry level smartphone for $55. Our … […]
i would rather buy a chinese tab 7 ” with 8 gig internal memory, 512 ram, android version 4.04 ice cream jellybean for $85, support all android apps
Hey were can i find that chiniese tab 7
Go and buy the 85 dolar Tab..Munotoshamisa…Econet s makin business ..nxt yr they will b posting in thier financials huge margins contributed by data usage on thier network. and wat causes that? small and affordable smartmobile like that ztev chakuti. What pple dont knw is u myt spend yo life hatin wat Eco s offering but zvavo zvikutofire so. ryt now where else can u get that sane deal fo 50 usd? Viva Econet Viva ZTE..tichamhanya kunotenga frm xool kids,varsity crews, informal n formal employees..imi moto sara makashama vana drogo nana ano. Kkkkk
Cyber did nobody say they hate Econet??? It’s their overpriced garbage people hate. Like what the writer stated :the phone is only good for a newbie.
Real people don’t waste hard earned cash on garbage, only people who have no idea what a smartphone is queque to buy such garbage. The devices are for people who can’t distinguish between an entry-level phone and garbage.
lol,
what can I do if my ZTE V795 “cannot connect to camera”
garbage or not, am sure people are flocking to buy this low priced phone, problem yenyu ndeyekuti unofunga kuti everybody wants to use as much apps or functionality as you do. Tonnes of people just want Whatsap or Facebook, so that ZTE serves the purpose. I use a Galaxy S2 would not buy the ZTE but I have 3 or so relatives using the Huawei Y220 and they are happy, don’t judge things through your eyes only,
Mellisa, nobody is judging nothing. I know the phones are garbage they don’t last a 6 months. That’s a fact!!! The phones are garbage hardwarewise..
I hv been using my zte 4 a yr nw n ts still sensitive, hs fallen more thn enough times bt it still works lyk a day old fon
Here is the saddest part though – econet will make extra from all the airtime chowing that android phones do – regular folk won’t know hoe to control it, turn off background data and auto sync etc. And I’m sure econet wireless won’t be in any hurry to educate them.
Anonymus wakapenga, not even one day will they educate you. No wonder why they more ino Android. Munodyiwa mari mukazvirega gore rino. its cheap to buy, but etym ma1, you wont be able to stop those background Data, even if you stop them, they start automatically zvotanga kurova etym yese wakadhika, wotoshaya kuti ko etym yako ikufambasei?
Good
Flocking to buy garbage cause they are dumb, ndotype inoisirwa whatsapp mufoni iyoyo. I don’t mean to disrespect nobody but that’s the truth.
This is a great step. We really need to start from somewhere. How about visiting our new Zimbabwean social platform here: http://www.zimyo.com
Danie hauna kana arguement, those phones last for more than you said sekuru, you only airing your subjective views, anyway you are entitled to them ndomafungiro ako
If only you could bring me a Huawei Y200/ 220 that’s been used for 6 months, yah ndinobvuma.
Oh btw hanisati ndava nemuzukuru, so calling me “sekuru” is derogatory.
without contraries there is no progression.
Can i use a telecel line while using a huawei y220 frm an econet shp?
i am with yu mellisa pple buy fones for diff reasons, and for $55 i am willing to buy it, even if it last 6 months i don mind as this compute to abt 31c/day its nthing
China Tab ye $85 ikuwanikwa kupi in byo?
WHY DO U ALWAYS SELL YO PRODUCTS WITH HIGH PRICES.$55 IS TOO MUCH FOR A COUNTRY LIKE OURS,CONSIDER COSTOMERS NEEDS BY REDUCING PRICES TO AT LEAST $45.
Yea were e hell can I get one o thz chnes tabs
these phones ariko to suit diff pple, i cant stand such a phone but i bought it for my wife and she is super happy, only apps she installed are whatsapp, opera mini & bible. So i think its a good phone depending on your usage and budget.
As for me i cant handle it, screen too small, ram too small, camera worst ever.
My only problem with econet is why sell the V795 in 2014 when the V795-2 was released in 2013.
China tab irikuwanikwa kupi
Econet please don’t steal my airtime . A concerned person
this phone do not open videos help .cannot play video it says sorry,this vedio cannot be played
that is very true
not a gud a phone..smtymz jus heats up.
no no no
i need lcd of zte where can i get it
[…] Like its competitors, Econet has a keen interest in smartphone uptake, largely because it dovetails with the diversification strategies that are now necessary because of the decline in voice call revenue. Econet has even taken steps to improve this smartphone penetration with the aggressive retailing of entry level Android smartphones. […]
my ZTE was stolen yesterday…can you track it for me even though its off or without a line..pliz help…asap
my ZTE V795 touch screen has just started not sensing
[…] on a sharp increase thanks to aggressive market penetration plays by brands like Huawei, Samsung and ZTE that have also partnered with MNOs like Econet. Other brands like Gtel and Astro have also made an […]
[…] on the extreme low, the Premium Plus 5 package, you pay $5 a month and get a ZTE V795 (a hello-smartphone-world device), 5 minutes voice on the network, a dollar to other networks, and 30MB […]
[…] The best way to facilitate and accelerate this is to sell affordable smart devices, something that has been aided by partnerships with manufacturers (Think Telecel/Gtel and Econet/Huawei). […]
[…] The best way to facilitate and accelerate this is to sell affordable smart devices, something that has been aided by partnerships with manufacturers (Think Telecel/Gtel and Econet/Huawei). […]
My God zte is total garbage I tell u. Its for garden boys and house maids, please econet do us smthing we love u Breezy says
zte v795 haisi phone yekutenga unopinda buys evrytym
[…] was the cheapest smartphone from Econet with a $70 price tag. This was later beaten last year by the $55 ZTE V795. A lot has changed, including the price, and many alternative devices later Econet is selling it at […]
i rooted my zte v795 and created an ext2 second sd partition. now i can install as much apps as i want using link2sd. its a simpolic link that makes apps run as if they are on internal memory.
[…] Lastly, Steward Bank is playing its part in improving Zimbabwe’s smartphone penetration, currently around 20%. The ZTE V795 is a basic smartphone and when Econet introduced it, the device was going for $55. […]
Kk
[…] who can’t fork out $68 just to be on WhatsApp. An earlier version of the V795 device entered the market at $55, so pushing it at $68 might have been a faux pas in our price sensitive […]