MTN ZTE MF935 review

I recently discovered that there’s a new MTN MiFi on the market. It is called the MTN ZTE MF935 and I have teamed up with Raymond Reddington to do a review.

MTN cheaped out by previously going with the ZLT M30s, a move which drew a lot of criticism from many users. So it makes sense that they would be switching to a new product from ZTE.

When it comes to MiFis, ZTE is the bigger brand and the name carries a lot more credence. This can be said, not just for MiFis, but for network routers and other associated products.

Key specs

The MTN ZTE MF935 is an entry level MiFi, just like the much maligned ZLT M30s. Its key specs include:

• LTE Cat. 4 mobile MiFi router
• Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n, 2.4GHz, supports Up to 8 simultaneous users
• Network bands: 4G LTE Band FDD-LTE band B1/3/7/8/20/28, TDD-LTE band B38/40/41, 3G UMTS Band B1/8
• Network speeds: 4G LTE peak speed: Cat.4 (DL-150Mbps, UL-50Mbps), 3G HSUPA (DL-21Mbps, UL-5.76Mbps)
• Interface: 4FF Sim slot-nano Sim, Micro USB
• Buttons: Power, WPS, Reset
• LED indicator: Network Status, WiFi Status, Battery Status
• Battery capacity: 2000mAh, working in 4G(LTE) mode to 7 hours.
• Software: Wifi security, DHCP, Port forwarding, IP filter, DMZ, UPnP, WIFI Control, WPS, SMS, USSD
• Dimensions: 100x60x16mm
• Operation Systems support: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 and 11, macOS

Unboxing

Inside the box, you’ll find:

• The MTN ZTE MF935 MiFi
• 2000mah Battery
• USB cable for charging
• MTN SIM with free 30gb usable upon SIM registration.

Design and build quality

So MTN is back with a ZTE MiFi. This Mifi is the first MTN ZTE MiFi in a while, especially after the much criticized ZLT M30s. Let me quickly add that they once again cut costs in this Mifi. While the general design approach looks sleek and unique, it’s very lightweight, the build quality is average and the plastic materials ooze cheapness just like the M30s. All MiFi cases are made of plastic anyway, but the plastic here feels a bit cheaper, especially compared to the older ZTE MF927U.

For the design & build quality, I give it a 7/10.

Functionality

The MTN ZTE MF935 Mifi has a WPS and power button situated close to each other on the right side of the plastic case. There’s a micro USB port on the left for charging.

There is no LAN port on this device as is expected on a typical MiFi.

The 3 notification lights – Battery, WiFi, and Network status are all white-coloured except for the network bar which blinks red for “no service or no SIM” and Green for “service active”. This is the same with the battery which blinks red for low battery.

You must note that there is no SMS indicator light on this Mifi.

It’s also worth noting that unlike the M30s, after the WiFi is powered on, these indicator lights timeout after 5 secs or so. This means that there’s no blinking whatsoever regardless of what the status of the MiFi is. The lights will stay dark until the power button is tapped. This is very much unlike the older MF927U MiFi which has a green network notification light that continuously and intermittently blinks until the MiFi is powered off. This could be a hit or miss for some people, however in this context, the MF935 is perfect for users who do not want their MiFis to draw any kind of attention when it is in use.

The MF935 can only connect up to 8 devices at a time while the MF927U connects up to 32 devices.

A quick addition: The ZTE android app detects the new MiFi but 60% of the functions are broken. It would appear that the app developers haven’t fully incorporated the new MiFi in their functionality catalogue. I saw a Playstore review pointing this out already.

So for functionality, I give it a 6.5/10

Network Speeds

From the spec sheet of this MiFi, it is an LTE Cat. 4 MiFi with speeds of 50Mbps (uplink) and 150Mbps (downlink).

This is also a 2.4ghz 4G Mifi and from my tests, the uplink and downlink speeds are very satisfactory. With my SIM inserted, I was averaging a 50mbps downlink and 10mbps uplink even with unstable network. Not bad, in my opinion.

For speed, I give it a 7/10.

Battery

I guess this is where most of our interests lie. A category that could make or break the deal for some people. Well…I’ll get right to it.

The ZTE MF935 MiFi houses a 2000mAh removable lithium battery. This is a 25% downgrade from the 2500mah capable M30s. Now, whilst battery capacity is important, we all know that optimization is everything in gadgets. Right?

Well that’s not exactly the case here. With the new MTN ZTE MF935, I barely averaged 5hr usage time while watching YouTube videos, TikTok, texting and some web surfing. On very light usage however, I comfortably averaged 8-9hrs.

For context, particularly with the M30s and M30 in mind, this is a downgrade. Airtel’s ZLT M30 comfortably averages 7 hours on heavy usage when fully charged; 10 hours on a very light usage. The M30s can provide 6 hours of heavy use when fully charged and 9 hours on very light usage. The issue however is that it takes almost double the time to fully recharge. Sometimes it takes up to 9 hours to fully charge an M30 when powered off. If you use simultaneously while charging, then charging is infinite…

This is where the ZTE M935 scores some cheap points.. Charging is fairly fast (roughly under 3hrs when powered off) and usage doesn’t slow down the charging process compared to the M30s.

Editor’s note: I’m not really a fan of using a MiFi whilst it is charging.

Worth noting also, is the fact that the ZTE MF935 doesn’t overheat on moderate use in contrast to the M30s which is gets quite hot even on normal usage.

So for the battery performance, I give the M935 a 6.5/10

MY FINAL TAKE

The ZTE MF935 comes from ZTE, an old and experienced Chinese company which in my opinion, makes better MiFis than ZLT (equally Chinese, but a knock off). The ZTE MF935 is not the finished article. It is an entry level MiFi that is not that bad if you can live without notification lights and a weaker 2000mAh battery.

This Mifi would be suitable for very light/moderate users who would be connecting just their smartphones & possibly a PC for light Web surfing, TikTok, YouTube, chatting etc.

For heavy users however, who are always active with multiple connections & heavy internet activity, you’re better off with better MiFis or routers.

That being said, if you can find the older ZTE M927U Mifi brand new in the market, go for it. Personally, I have got both the ZTE MF927U and the MF935. I have had the MF927U since 2021 but I’ll be sticking with the MF935 for the following reasons.

• The simple yet unique design. I just love the build style.
• It’s unlocked and will be housing my other SIMs.
• The ability to seamlessly control my WiFi with a dedicated ZTE app available on PlayStore – something lacking in all ZLT MiFis.
• The decent internet speeds without overheating.
• It’s ZTE – Huawei’s major competitor in routers. The sauce may have dropped a bit over the years (solely because of MTN, Airtel’s etc insistence on cutting costs) but ZTE still got the juice in the industry.

And so guys, that’s about that with the new ZTE MF935. You’re welcome.

Credit: Raymond Reddington, Edited by: Jeffrey Ogodogun.

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