ZTE C79 (MetroPCS)
CDMA
2 inches
3.7 oz.
No
1.3 megapixels
Yes
60MB
MicroSD memory slot
3.6 hours talk time, 200 hours standby
4×2x0.7 inches
Reviews
There’s no denying that as cell phones go, the smartphone category is seeing a big increase in popularity. (According to research firm IDC, smartphone sales were up 68 percent in 2008.) With these devices, you can send a reply to an e-mail from the boss, surf the Web for a lower price on a camera while you’re in a store, and listen to tunes or watch some videos you just downloaded. Whether it’s T-Mobile’s youth-centric Sidekick, RIM’s all-business BlackBerry, or—a source for the smartphone’s rise in popularity—Apple’s do-it-all iPhone, the major cell-phone carriers have a host of smartphones designed for every user. But what if all you want to do is just make a phone call and you don’t need all the complex circuitry? This is where the ZTE C79 comes calling.
If you’ve never heard of the ZTE brand, you’re not alone. The China-based company has a large presence in the telecom industry, mostly in nonconsumer infrastructure, but it has recently made inroads into the cell-phone sector with a variety of handsets, including the C79. Its phones are found mainly with carrier MetroPCS.
You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard of MetroPCS, either. MetroPCS is a relatively new player based in Texas, and the service is found in a few metro areas in Texas, California, and Florida. The CDMA-based carrier has plans to go national, recently unveiling service in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, and it has a nationwide roaming agreement with Cricket Communications. Unlike other carriers, MetroPCS has a flat-rate, no-contract business model, with plans that cost $30 to $50 monthly. That model is also why its basic phones are somewhat expensive—the C79, for example, costs $149. But you get unlimited phone calls, and some plans offer extra features like games, navigation, mobile Web browsing, and social networking. For someone who wants basic service, the MetroPCS plans are appealing—if they’re available in your town.
While today’s phone manufacturers are concentrating on sexy, thin form factors, flip-out keypads, large LCDs, and other sophisticated doodads, the C79 is a blast to the past in industrial design. While refreshingly simple, this flip-style (clamshell) phone is reminiscent of models from five years ago. The two-tone red-and-black casing has sports-car- and Motorola Razr-like design influences, but it’s more failure than success in the looks department—it’s like a wedge when the phone’s closed. It’s not terribly ugly, but it’s just too dated. Although, at 0.74 inches, the C79 looks a bit thick, it fits nicely in a pants pocket and is lightweight—we’ve seen wallets that are way thicker and heavier. On the outside of the phone, you’ll find a 1.3-megapixel camera, a very small outer display, basic media keys for the MP3 player, a volume control, a button to activate the camera, a MicroSD slot (supporting up to 2GB, so don’t bother with larger-capacity MicroSDHC cards), a USB port, and a speaker.
Although the C79’s eye-candy factor isn’t remarkable, it’s not all bad news. With the phone flipped open, we were happy with how comfortable it was to hold and use. The phone cradled our face nicely, extending from our ear all the way to our mouth, letting us position the microphone where our mouth was (never a given with smartphones). The keypad and navigation keys feel solid and have just the right amount of resistance; they’re large, too, so if you’re the type to complain about cell-phone keypads being too small for your fingers, this is the phone for you.
The LCD inside the phone is an adequate 2 inches. With 176×220 resolution and 18-bit color, you won’t be watching videos on it (the phone doesn’t support them anyway), but it’s good enough for displaying info and the photos you shoot. The user interface, however, is a bit dated. It lacks the polish that you’d see in a phone from Nokia or Motorola, but navigation is intuitive, albeit basic. The LCD on the cover is the same, but it’s so small it has no other purpose other than displaying time and date, battery level, caller ID (without a photo), and, if you’re using the MP3 player, the song that’s playing.
The C79 is basic when compared to full-fledged smartphones, but it has some advanced features for a basic phone, such as the aforementioned 1.3-megapixel camera and MP3 player. Photo quality was better than we expected. It’s fine for posting on the Web, but don’t expect to print images out, since most will have some blurring and noise. The MP3 player is also basic and not easy to navigate, reminiscent of those of early MP3-capable cell phones. Playing music is clunky, as you are required to create a playlist. The easiest way to get music onto the phone is to load a MicroSD card with MP3 files from your computer via a card reader, and then pop the card into the phone. If you play your music through the speaker, it actually sounds quite clear, if lacking bass oomph. Unfortunately, the phone does not feature a 3.5mm jack to pair it with your favorite headphones; a pair of unremarkable earbuds with a microphone are included, which you plug via the USB port. But the C79 does support stereo Bluetooth, so you can pair it with a set of Bluetooth headphones or Bluetooth speakers, which we did successfully.
The C79 also lets you subscribe to mobile Web and MapQuest Mobile services, and you can download ringtones and games. (Some of these services are included in the higher-tier plans.) Again, don’t expect them to look like modern, high-res applications. Web access is simple and mainly text-based, as are the maps and games. Games downloaded fairly quickly (usually in less than two minutes). But accessing the Web can feel slow, especially since we’re so used to surfing the Web on our phones with HTML support.
Performance-wise, we found the C79’s call quality to be quite good on both ends of the call. The person called could hear us loud and clear, and vice versa, and we didn’t suffer much with dropped calls or the like. The phone has a rated talk time of 3.7 hours and a standby time of 7.5 days. We achieved a little less than 3 days of normal voice calls, standby light Web access, and music playing before having to recharge.
Looks aside, the C79 isn’t a bad phone, but it does feel one or two generations behind. But as a basic phone in MetroPCS’s lineup, it’s somewhat on the higher-end of the pricing scale. MetroPCS offers the sexier Motorola VE240 for just $99, and that model also supports stereo Bluetooth and has an MP3 player. But if you find the MetroPCS service appealing, and you want a flip phone that offers a few extra features, such as a camera, the C79 isn’t a bad choice. Just don’t flash it if other, sexier phones are around.
Price (at time of review): $149
