We recently reviewed the ZP980+ and were left a bit disappointed by the phone. On many levels, the phone was excellent. All the components were proper, but the touch issues and keyboard disappearing left blemishes on our memories with the phone. Though these problems are likely to be addressed in software updates.
Now comes along a new budget Zopo – the Zopo ZP780. The ZP780 is an MTK6582 phone with 1GB RAM, 4GB ROM. LCD is IPS 5.0@540p. and it’s got some very interesting features.
Looks
First off the bat is the looks of the ZP780. Slightly curved tops and bottoms add a unique element of style. The phone will be available in several colors as well, including black, white, blue and though it’s not listed on Zopo’s official sales page, there’s a picture of a lime green one as well.
Resolution & LCD
The resolution of the Zopo ZP780 is 540p. That’s 960×540. While 720p would have presented a significantly prettier picture, 540p on a 5.0″ LCD is easily pleasant enough. Battery life will benefit significantly as the SoC will be moving less pixels, and performance as well with 3D games and possibly even general Android navigation. The real question here is how will the ZP780 viewing angles be? Nothing is more annoying than the silvery ghost effect from a bad LCD. Thankfully Zopo has advertised this model as having IPS, so the colors should remain solid and true.
Frequency support
Here’s one of the kickers for this phone. Zopo has advertised the Zopo ZP780 as having 900/1900/2100 WCDMA. We wouldn’t be surprised if the listed specs are incorrect, however it is the official Zopo site and normally Zopo is quite good about listing specs correctly. Assuming the specs are correct, this will make a good, inexpensive phone for both Americans and Europeans.
Battery
The battery for the ZP780 is 1800mA. A bit low, but fairly standard for 5.0″ budget MT6582. Assuming the phone is charging the battery correctly, this should give 5 hours on screen time.
Price
As of this posting, the phone is retailing for $159-169. An excellent deal for a Zopo phone, despite several features missing.
Zopo ZP780 review specification verdict
It’s somewhat disappointing they didn’t include 850WCDMA, as much of AT&T is on 850, but AT&T is putting some of their 3G on to 1900, and many T-Mobile areas are 1900.
One thing we notice missing from this phone is OTG. It’s understandable, as this is a budget phone, but OTG would have been the kicker for many people on the fence looking for a budget model.
The resolution could be considered too low for some, but for us 540p is acceptable and there are battery life benefits and performance benefits that come from lower resolutions.
Though 1GB RAM is just fine for today’s Android, some people may lament the 4GB storage/ROM, especially when 1GB/16GB phones with OTG can now be had for <$200, but for us, this isn’t a detractor at all.
We would have loved to have seen Zopo add $20 to the price and add 850WCDMA and OTG. Spec wise, it would have made this phone a real winner.
Overall we can’t complain. For $159, this Zopo phone with 900/1900 3G support and IPS LCD is a very good entry into the budget MT6582 market.
Leave a Reply