Zest T1

[DaveSemm]

I've had mine for 2 months now & am still very happy with it. I still think it is great for the price - and 1GB free per month for a year is also nice. It has a few omissions and problems:

I would have liked to use it as a compass, a spirit level, and a TV/HiFi remote control, but it lacks the sensors & IR blaster.

The camera is terrible in low light & the flash is useless. In daylight it is fine for me.

YouTube videos always get stuck, while the sound carries on. I have to drag the slider back a tiny bit to get it back in sync. It has upgraded itself a few times, so it isn't an old version issue.

The battery barely lasts half the day, but that might be because I use it all the time.

Other than that I love it. I use it to type notes using a Bluetooth keyboard and Google Keep. I read books on the Kindle app - it works better for me than the actual Kindle, unless I'm reading outside. I use the calculator, calendar and browser all day; the radio and flashlight often come in handy. I listen to music and podcasts, watch YouTube, check my CCTV cameras, check facebook, etc. Fortunately I don't travel much, so I can leave it charging for most of the day. And it fits nicely in a regular shirt pocket.

 

[AR_GTR]

Or maybe no longer selling well at Afrihost, and they need to move their remaining stock.

Agreed, only knew about the phone thanks to Afrihost's marketing, now that that has died down who else but Afrihost clients know about the phone.

 

[Yasheel]

So I got my phone back from repairs today.
And guess what. IT F*****g comes back with the same problem. I am extremely annoyed with them (Afrihost) . I thought the bad service ended when I tried getting my phone fixed via Zest direct.

I feel like I deserve a refund + interest for this incompetence.

Please everybody that reads this, DO NOT BUY A ZEST! spend a little more, get something a bit more reliable.

Heres the final piece to this never ending nightmare. I got my replacement phone back a few minutes ago. I'll let the pictures talk for itself.

Ya, thats right! 3 cracks and signs of excessive use from a phone that is supposed to be new. What do I do guys! this level of incompetence is on another level! :wtf:

 

[Yasheel]

Aaaaand it must be my lucky day. The phones camera doesn't exist and no number of factory resets or downloadable apps that commutates with the camera works

 

[10i]

I saw Game sells a dual sim Hisense phone for R999 if anyone is interested. Looks ok, a colleague bought one and is very happy (just in case you were following this threqd and contemplating not getting a z phone)

 

[Yasheel]

I saw Game sells a dual sim Hisense phone for R999 if anyone is interested. Looks ok, a colleague bought one and is very happy (just in case you were following this threqd and contemplating not getting a z phone)

With my experience with the Zest brand any phone is better than it! but from what you are looking I will consider buying the more expensive Hisense for R1999 I think. I know Makro is running a special on it for R100 or R200 cheaper than elsewhere.

DO NOT BUY A ZEST! you will regret it!

 

[Number Six]

DO NOT BUY A ZEST! you will regret it!

I have no regrets. Great phone.

 

[RanzB]

I have no regrets. Great phone.

Me as well. Especially for the price. I think they're a crap company though.

 

[SykomantiS]

I think there are some of us (myself included) that had an easier time and working handsets than some others- that is, after all the major issues were sorted.
The company itself- not a fan.

 

[ld13]

Phone reported ~20% battery level. Mere minutes later it started counting down to 1%. Barely managed to take the screenshot below. This is becoming a problem...



Third time it happened this week and the screenshot above shows the three battery crash events quite clearly!

 

[ld13]

Battery still useless...

Panorama function also useless...

It missed a massive chunk in the middle!

 

[konfab]

My battery tanked out at 50%



Not the first time either.
This behavior only started after I flashed the partition fix.

I wonder if it is a battery problem that only surfaced now or if the update broke something.

Sent them a very polite (no sarcasm) message on Facebook.

 

[konfab]

My battery tanked out at 50%

View attachment 146184

Not the first time either.
This behavior only started after I flashed the partition fix.

I wonder if it is a battery problem that only surfaced now or if the update broke something.

Sent them a very polite (no sarcasm) message on Facebook.

 

[SykomantiS]

I doubt you're experiencing a software related issue, if that was the case, it would have been more widespread, I think.

 

[ld13]

I wonder if it is a battery problem that only surfaced now or if the update broke something.

If they dare to hint that the update/repartitioning caused it, my phone is proof of the contrary. I have yet to install any updates or mess with the partitions.

 

[konfab]

I doubt you're experiencing a software related issue, if that was the case, it would have been more widespread, I think.

If they dare to hint that the update/repartitioning caused it, my phone is proof of the contrary. I have yet to install any updates or mess with the partitions.

A bit of Googling seems to indicate a bad battery.
I wonder if the warranty covers this

 

[konfab]

OK I got some feedback from our Zesty overlord.
It appears the battery problems are due to calibration errors.
These are the instructions they gave me to recalibrate the battery:

This happened due to the battery not being calibrated properly after flashing the firmware which is normally done in the factory. Simply remove the battery for a minute and shake it (this moves the lithium around the battery to maximize battery cycles), then pop it back in and charge it fully while it is off. Once fully charged turn the phone on and drain the battery through normal use until it reaches 15% then charge it fully while the phone is on. Drain it again to 15% and charge it fully. This should re-calibrate the battery for you and maximize each battery cycle

I have done the first part of it. Just need to wear drain it to 15% now.

Hopefully this might improve battery life as well

 

[SykomantiS]

Yeah.... I'm not so sure I believe that (part about the lithium), but go ahead and try. Don't think you have anything to lose.

 

[Yasheel]

Hahaha! Zest and their jokes!
Next they may tell you to hop in circular motions to get in line with the earth's magnetic field to charge the battery .

Can't wait to see the end result

 

[kokzn]

Hi Guys

Not sure if anyone car help, maybe had similar issue.
The battery depleted, and since then the phone just keeps on re-starting with this message (Process
system isn't responding, do you want to close it). Whichever option I choose, the phone just restarts and repeats the process.

I tried doing a factory reset, but that doesn't work too, the phone just restarts, I tried the power and volume down method, with no luck.

I reported the phone to Zest Mobile, so far, not very helpful. Here is their response
"Hi there

It appears that a corrupted application (out of or control unfortunately) caused this. please can you dpi a factory reset and it will resolve the issue.

Kind regards,
Dave"