Almost three weeks of almost daily usage of the ZTE MF932, the Smart LTE Prepaid Pocket Wifi, I am happy to report that I have been properly served with LTE signal.
Design & Build
The ZTE MF93D is a unibody design with a glossy finish on top, it has about 1-inch LCD display where you see status of your connectivity, number of devices connected, number of hours online, signal strength, battery status and the consumed data. On top of the pocket Wifi is the SIM-Card slot, reset button with the SD card reader, and the WPS button. The power button is awkwardly located on the lower right side of the LCD display, while there are two external antenna ports at the bottom. The micro-USB charging port is likewise located at the bottom.
An improved designed would have been better by putting the micro-USB charging slot in the side, together with the power button. But its not the design that we need here, its the LTE service and battery life that will be provided by this little LTE Pocket WiFi.
Check our unboxing and first impression article with photos in this link.
In the three weeks that we’ve been using the ZTE MF93D (the original pocket wifi offered by Smart was Huawei E589), it has served me very well. I give attribute to the LTE signal that I have in the house, I only get about 2-3 bars LTE signal but it delivers an average of 6Mbps and burst of 12Mbps during midnight to early morning usage.
ZTE MF93D will connect up to 10 devices at the same time, but we’ve tested up to four only. We did not notice any slowdown in the performance with the 4 devices connected all together, however the battery drained faster as opposed to the regular 2 devices connected to it.
We have recorded the fastest LTE signal in SM Megamall near Jump at 27Mpbs, but on a regular day in our headquarters we get an average of 6Mbps. In Greenhills shopping center, we recorded a 20Mbps LTE speed.
Charging will take you about 3 hours. It is advised that you turn off the device during charging otherwise, it will take more than three hours to fully charge it. However, you can still use it during charging but it is not advised. ZTE MF93D has a 2800mAh non-removable battery. It gives us up to 6 hours of sustained battery life with LTE signal on.
CONCLUSION
ZTE MF93D Pocket WiFi is locked with Smart, and is offered on Prepaid LTE bundle. It cost P6,995 and includes a micro-SIM with 7 days unlimited LTE access. The price is expensive at P6,995, it is already compared to a price of a smarthphone but, for people that needs LTE speed (up to 42Mbps in the Philippines), ZTE MF93D is the perfect device for you. Its competitor model Huawei E589 is still sold in the gray market for more than P7k (check listings in Sulit). The price is dictated by the law of supply and demand, only Huawei and ZTE has LTE pocket WiFi today. You can check in stores in malls and you can’t find LTE pocket WiFi.
With Smart extending its unlimited LTE access, including its wide reach of LTE areas extending to the whole of Luzon, this Smart LTE pocket WiFi is your perfect buddy. Prepaid load is available in P50 and P300, you can go Unli LTE for a day for P50, 7 days for P299 and 30 days for P995.
