During the launch event of the ZTE Axon M in China in January 2018, the company’s CEO, Cheng Lixin, revealed that the Axon 7 would get a worthy successor this year after missing out on 2017. If you didn’t like the foldable Axon M, which is by no means a desireable sequel to the Axon 7, the company has taken the wraps off the ZTE Axon 9 Pro at the IFA 2018.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Axon 9 Pro (there’s only the Pro variant and no standard Axon 9, at least for now).

Related: The best ZTE phones in 2018

Axon 9 Pro specs

  • 6.21-inch 18.7:9 FHD+ AMOLED display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset
  • 6GB RAM
  • 128GB expandable storage
  • Dual 12MP + 20MP main camera
  • 20MP front camera
  • 4000mAh battery
  • Android 8.1 Oreo
  • Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, Quick Charge 4.0, Fast wireless charging, NFC, Stereo speakers, HiFi, Dolby Atmos, Rear-mounted scanner, IP68, AI, HDR10, etc.

ZTE has had a turbulent year in the U.S. market, but with the dust now having settled, it’s business as usual. The Taiwanese company has finally launched the much-awaited successor to the Axon 7, more than two years down the line. But is the wait worth it?

Well, it depends on where you are seated. From a neutral standpoint, this is just another Android flagship phone that gets the basics right and doesn’t have anything to wow you, but it does so while retaining a favorable price tag, something that is becoming elusive in the premium smartphone market.

Whether the Axon 9 Pro will successfully take the place of your beloved Axon 7 is up to you, but the phone truly gets the right things right! Premium, glass design with wireless charging? Check. Premium AMOLED display screen? Check. Flagship processor? Check. Huge RAM and storage? Check. Dual-lens camera? Check. Big battery? Check. Notch? Check. Stereo speakers? Check. Reasonable pricing? Check.

On top of all these, the ZTE Axon 9 Pro also integrates plenty of features that are synonymous with premium phones, among them the aforementioned wireless charging, USB-C, IP68 dust and water resistance, HDR10 video playback, and so on. The Axon 9 Pro ships with Android Oreo out of the box, but of course, it’s promised to receive Android Pie at some point, but when this will happen is only known to ZTE.

Related: Android 9 Pie update roadmap

So, what takes all the credit from the Axon 9 Pro? Well, it must be the design language. Basically, it’s what we’ve seen before on other phones and as noted earlier, the lack of anything eye-catching makes the device simply another Android phone in a pool of many others.

Axon 9 Pro price and availability

Perhaps what ZTE thinks will carry the Axon 9 Pro shoulders high is the price tag of just €649. Considering the phone packs specs that mimic the Galaxy S9+ and even betters the Samsung flagship phone in some aspects, things don’t look so bad for ZTE. On the other hand, the market has the likes of OnePlus 6, Asus ZenFone 5Z, Xiaomi Poco F1, and even Huawei Honor Play, all of which offer a much better bang for the buck.

After the issues the company had with the U.S. government, it seems Americans won’t be getting the Axon 9 Pro officially. The phone will begin selling in Europe in September and while things might change in the future, we still can’t tell when exactly this could happen.

Of course, there will always be other ways to ship in the device, among them Amazon, but the hassle involved may discourage some potential buyers.

What’s your take on the ZTE Axon 9 Pro? Is it worth the 2-year wait? Share your thoughts in the comments below.