The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra appeared on the market in April 2021 and comes chock-full of attractive features. Let’s see how well its display performed in our comprehensive array of tests.
Key display specifications:
- 6.67-inch AMOLED display
- Resolution: 1080 x 2400 (395 ppi)
- Aspect ratio: 20:9
- Maximum refresh rate: 144 Hz
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
About DXOMARK Display tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone and other display reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective and perceptual tests under controlled lab and real-life conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. Note that we evaluate display attributes using only the device’s built-in display hardware and its still image (gallery) and video apps at their default settings. (For in-depth information about how we evaluate smartphone and other displays, check out our articles, “How DXOMARK tests display quality” and “A closer look at DXOMARK Display testing.”)
Test summary
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra
104
display
103
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
Best: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 (160)
83
Vivo X90 Pro+
Best: Vivo X90 Pro+ (164)
88
Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
Best: Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon) (162)
128
Huawei P40 Pro
Best: Huawei P40 Pro (155)
139
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
Best: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 (168)
134
Xiaomi Mix Fold 2
Best: Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 (161)
Please be aware that beyond this point, we have not modified the initial test results. While data and products remain fully comparable, you might encounter mentions and references to the previous scores.
Position in Global Ranking
126
th
1. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
152
4. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
149
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
149
7. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
148
7. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
148
9. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
146
12. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
145
15. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
140
27. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
136
30. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
135
34. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
134
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
134
34. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
134
38. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
133
38. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
38. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
133
38. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
133
44. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
131
44. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
131
48. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
55. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
129
55. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
129
62. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G
128
62. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
128
65. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
127
72. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
125
72. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
125
88. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
123
88. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
123
92. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
98. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
120
102. Motorola Edge 40 Pro
118
108. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
116
113. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
111
113. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
111
117. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
110
123. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
107
125. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
105
126. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
104
133. Microsoft Surface Duo
99
135. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
97
136. Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro 5G
95
144. Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
74
145. Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro
69
147. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
60
Position in Premium Ranking
33
rd
1. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
148
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
133
5. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
133
7. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
130
12. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
125
12. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
125
18. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
123
40. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
60
Pros
- Smooth and accurate touch while gaming and when browsing the web
- Great management of video frame drops and judder
- Instant video playback after moving in the timeline
Cons
- Poor color fidelity, with a strong pink cast on most still content and on HDR10 content
- Lack of brightness indoors and outdoors, especially under sunlight
- Visible steps during light transitions
- Frequent frame drops when gaming
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G’s strongest points are its control of artifacts and its smoothness when gaming and browsing the web, but its overall display performance is hampered by poor color reproduction characterized by a very strong pink cast.
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (0 Lux)
Brightness vs Contrast comparison (30 000 Lux)
The ZTE device is well adapted to low-light conditions, but it otherwise lacks brightness both indoors and outdoors, and shows distinct steps when adapting to lower light levels.
Readability indoors, from left to right: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Reno6 Pro, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
Further, the Axon 30 Ultra does not use a sunlight adaptation algorithm, which means that content under sunlight is barely readable.
Readability under sunlight, left to right: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Reno6 Pro, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
A strong pink cast is visible on most contents in all tested conditions, especially on skin tones.
Color rendering outdoors in shade, left to right: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Reno6 Pro, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The left-hand chart below shows the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G’s color fidelity in the P3 color space. The center of each circle is the target color; the further the tip of the arrow is outside of the circle, the more users will notice the difference between the color on the display and the original color of the source material. In the scatter chart on the right, each dot represents a measurement taken at a discrete angle and distance from the device showing a full white pattern. The Axon 30 Ultra 5G shows a shift toward green on angle.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, color fidelity at 1000 lux in the P3 color space
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, scatter graph of white point on angle
The photo arrays below illustrate the color shift toward green measured in the scatter chart above.
Indoor color rendering on axis (top) and on angle (bottom), left to right: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, OnePlus 9 Pro, Oppo Reno6 Pro, Apple iPhone 13
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
While the ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G’s video brightness is well suited for watching HDR10 content, mid-tone contrast lacks details and dark tones are hardly visible. The same strong pink cast is visible on HDR10 videos, including on skin tones, adversely affecting the overall experience.
Video color, clockwise from top left: left to right: ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, Oppo Reno6 Pro, Apple iPhone 13, OnePlus 9 Pro
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
The ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G shows no frame drops at 30 fps and just a few at 60 fps; however, it shows a lot of stutters when playing video games and motion blur is noticeable. A big plus is that video play resumes instantly after moving the slider forwards or backwards in the timeline. Another plus is that the device is quite smooth when browsing, when in the gallery app, and when gaming.
The ZTE device manages judder well, has smooth and accurate touch, and responds only rarely to ghost touches, but its measured touch-to-display response time at 103 ms, frequent stutters and visible aliasing make for an uncomfortable gaming experience overall.
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, closeup of aliasing
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, closeup of aliasing
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
ZTE Axon 30 Ultra 5G, closeup of aliasing
(Photo credit: DXOMARK; for illustration only)
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