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ZTE’s latest big-screen phone packs dual cameras for $129
While the rest of the tech world gets ready for the return of Samsung's Galaxy Note line, ZTE continues its quiet takeover of the budget phablet market. Every year since 2014, the company has released a low-cost handset with a large screen, generous battery and surprisingly modern features (think: fingerprint sensors and USB-C ports). This time is no different. The 6-inch Blade ZMax is now available for pre-order via MetroPCS, and will be in stores on August 28th, starting at $129.
ZTE's Blade Spark raises the bar for $100 smartphones
If you're wondering what $100 will get you in a smartphone nowadays in the US, ZTE has a solid reply with the Blade Spark. Available for AT&T Prepaid customers, it offers some nice things like a 5.5-inch HD display and 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. That's well and good, but there are some other surprising touches for such a cheap device: a rear fingerprint sensor, dedicated selfie button, Gorilla Glass 3, Dolby audio and Android 7.1.1, the very latest version.
'YotaPhone 3' isn't the dual-screen powerhouse you were expecting
If you're one of the few people who are still waiting for the next dual-screen YotaPhone, listen up: we finally have an update for you. During Harbin's China-Russia Expo over the weekend, Baoli Yota -- the joint venture formed by investor Baoli (formerly known as REX) and manufacturer Coolpad -- teased its upcoming "Yota3" with a date: it's due in the early fall later this year (almost four years since the launch of its predecessor) and will come with 64GB or 128GB of storage for a more favorable $350 or $450, respectively, according to RBC.
The ZTE Quartz is an affordable intro to Android Wear 2.0
ZTE has made a name for itself by selling affordable smartphones that are best described as "not bad." Now, the company is extending its "affordable premium" philosophy to Android Wear watches with the Quartz -- a sub-$200 wearable running Google's newest OS. For $192, the Quartz delivers an onboard radio for phone-free calls and texts, as well as a surprisingly big battery. But despite these features, ZTE isn't going after early adopters. Instead, the Quartz is designed for first-time smartwatch buyers, and, for them, it gets the job done.
ZTE's first Android Wear watch is also one of the cheapest
Android Wear 2.0's release has been delayed multiple times, and aside from a few watches that have just hit the market, there aren't many affordable ways to get Google's latest wearable OS right now. The good news is, a new option arrives in about two weeks via ZTE, which is making its first-ever Android Wear watch. It's called the Quartz, and it will be available on April 21 via T-Mobile for just $200. You can also get it online starting April 14th.
ZTE will pay $1.19 billion for violating US trade sanctions
ZTE is still feeling the pain from its alleged violation of US trade sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Chinese tech giant has reached an agreement with the Commerce Department to both plead guilty to violation charges and pay a total of $1.19 billion ($892 million in the Iran case) as a penalty. That's a stiff cost, but ZTE didn't have much choice. The US' sanctions against the company, suspended while the two sides negotiated a deal, would have crippled its business by largely denying access to crucial American parts like Qualcomm's mobile processors.
ZTE's low-cost Blade V8 Mini comes with dual cameras
In addition to unveiling its Gigabit phone here at MWC, ZTE is adding two new phones to its Blade V8 line of affordable handsets. The Blade V8 Mini and Lite will be available in Asia and Europe in March, and although we don't know what they'll officially cost yet, it's safe to say they'll be cheaper than the $229 Blade V8 Pro that we saw at CES.
ZTE cancels ill-fated Kickstarter to focus on a better phone
ZTE's plans to crowdsource ideas for its next mobile device has been a mostly smooth-sailing journey. But the company's efforts to make the eye-detecting phone a reality has been far less successful. After feedback from its underwhelming Kickstarter campaign indicated that people were expecting better specs from the device, ZTE is canceling the crowdfunding project and going back to the drawing board.
ZTE's 'Gigabit' phone will bridge the LTE and 5G gap
You may think of 5G as the next fast wireless standard, with speeds ranging from 400 Mbps with AT&T all the way up to 5 Gbps and beyond. LTE isn't quite dead yet, though, and ZTE has launched the first device that supports the gigabit LTE standard just ahead of Mobile World Conference (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain. Called simply the ZTE Gigabit Phone, the company says it'll make "360 degree panoramic VR video, instant cloud storage ... and fast cache of ultra Hi-Fi music and movies possible."
ZTE is learning crowdfunding requires a crowd
A few days ago, ZTE's Jeff Yee posted a mea culpa on a company forum, explaining that his team had made a mistake. He was referring to Hawkeye, the culmination of the CSX project to design a smartphone with suggestions from the community. It was much-hyped, but the phone that emerged at the end was something of a lame duck. With mid-range specs and a key feature (self-adhesion) missing, the device has earned less than $35,000 on a Kickstarter goal of $500,000 half-way through its campaign.
ZTE's crowdsouced phone will pack dual cameras
ZTE has already confirmed that its crowdsourced Hawkeye phone will include showstopping features like eye tracking and a sticky case, but what about the nuts and bolts? Well, it's finally spilling the beans... and Hawkeye is a fairly powerful device for the money. The Snapdragon 625 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and 5.5-inch 1080p screen are good, though not mind-blowing. However, you'll also get a dual rear camera system -- 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors will deliver iPhone 7 Plus-style zooming at a price where that feature is relatively rare.
It's no longer enough for budget phones to just be cheap
Two years ago, the world of smartphones looked very different. It was hard to find a decent phone for less than $500, batteries took forever to charge, and screens were generally smaller than five inches. These days, you can get a long-lasting 5.2-inch (or larger) phone with speedy performance and the latest operating system for $400. Heck, you can even get one for $200.
The ZTE Blade V8 Pro is yet another affordable dual-camera phone
First the Honor 6x, then the ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom and now the ZTE Blade V8 Pro. The phones being unveiled here at CES 2017 all sport dual cameras that let you take photos with a shallow depth-of-field effect similar to what you can do with the iPhone 7 Plus. The difference is this week's new devices generally cost much less than the iPhone (although we don't know the ZenFone's price), with the cheapest being the just-announced Blade V8 Pro. For $230, the handset offers a respectable set of features, including two 13-megapixel rear cameras, a 5.5-inch full-HD display and an octa-core Snapdragon processor. From my brief experience with a preview unit, the V8 Pro feels sturdier than the Honor 6x ($250) and has a slightly better dual-camera implementation, to boot.
ZTE's crowdsourced phone gets a name and a Kickstarter campaign
It's only been a few months since ZTE tapped the wisdom of the masses and started work on its first crowdsourced device: an eye-tracking, self-adhesive phone. No, seriously. A surprising number of people thought we should be able to stick our phones onto walls and navigate through websites and menus just by glancing all over the place. While the phone itself is far from finished, ZTE did give us a few new details here at CES: it's called the Hawkeye, and you'll be able to pre-order one on Kickstarter starting today for $199.
T-Mobile's SyncUP Drive adds 4G LTE to your aging vehicle
For the road warriors and frequent drivers who want a connected vehicle without shelling out for a new car with built-in WiFi, T-Mobile's just announced SyncUP Drive should fill the coverage gap between your cell phone and your home internet. The new device brings the big pink carrier up to speed with competition at AT&T and Verizon (both of which already have similar devices) and adds smart vehicle diagnostic features as well as a phone-free connection to T-Mobile's 4G LTE network.
ZTE crowns its crowd-sourced Project CSX winner
Since the start of September, phone manufacturer ZTE has been running a crowd-sourced contest slash internet brainstorming session to figure out what features its customers want most in their next phone. Well, the results are in and ZTE has announced the grand prize project of that contest: it's an "eye-tracking, self-adhesive phone". Sure, why the heck not.
ZTE's Axon 7 Mini smartphone is yours for $300
As promised, ZTE is launching the Axon 7 Mini in the US... and it might just hit the sweet spot if you're more interested in price than raw performance. The 5.2-inch Android phone ("mini" is clearly a relative term) is now available for pre-order at just under $300, or a full hundred bucks less than the full-size Axon 7. The first orders should ship around October 27th. To recap, you're still getting the Axon 7's stereo speakers (with Dolby Atmos support), dual SIM slots and an 8-megapixel front camera. The cost-cutting mainly comes through the 1080p screen, a modest Snapdragon 617 processor, a less-crisp 16MP camera, and reductions to both memory (3GB) and storage (32GB) -- it's really a mid-tier phone with some premium perks.
ZTE's crowdsourced gadget competition is down to five
Since August, ZTE has been running an American Idol-style contest where, instead of singers, people are asked to judge the firm's future product development. Users were asked to suggest plausible ideas that the company could create and sell within the next rough year, that folks could then vote on. ZTE took three of those offerings, added a further two from a concept phase, and will now put all five to a very public final vote. Between now and October 19th, you'll be able to select which of the potential candidates you'd like to see built — and hopefully will buy once it hits shelves.
ZTE wants your help bringing crowdsourced ideas to life
When ZTE launched its Project CSX challenge to crowdsource ideas for a mobile device, it was hard not to wonder which of those grandiose visions would make the cut. Well, now we know: ZTE has unveiled the three ideas that made it to phase two of the competition, where people will submit product concepts that translate those ideas to reality. Each of the winners is rather unusual, but just realistic enough that ZTE could put it into production.
Cristiano Ronaldo's latest tech endorsement is a ZTE phone
Sources say CR7 fell over when he saw the Nubia Z11. Absolutely no one was shocked. That's what happens when you have a reputation for being the best diver on the pitch.
