ZTE Geek unveiled with 2GHz Intel Clover Trail+ and a terrible name (video)
Oh ZTE you cheeky monkey. Towards the end of day one at IDF in Beijing, we stumbled upon this awkwardly titled Android Jelly Bean phone that is the Geek at ZTE's booth. Needless to say, this is yet another phone powered by an Intel processor -- a 2GHz Clover Trail+ Atom to be exact, which is what Lenovo's K900 also has. The rest of the device isn't too shabby, either: you get a nice 5-inch 720p display with Gorilla Glass, along with an 8-megapixel main camera, a 1-megapixel front-facing camera, 8GB of storage space, 1GB of RAM, 2,300mAh battery and wireless charging. Radio-wise we see UMTS 900/2100 courtesy of Intel's XMM 6260 chip, and there's also the usual lot of 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and GPS.
Design-wise the Geek takes a huge step away from the Grand X IN and shares a similarly clean look with the Grand S, but without the black eye around the main camera. This particular unit had a glossy white finish as well, but we'd prefer a matte finish for a more premium feel. Since ZTE admitted that it had to rush this prototype for exhibition at IDF, we'll come back to the build quality once we see a final retail unit. Until then, check out our hands-on video and the press release after the break.
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ZTE Debuts the Latest Intel Inside ZTE GEEK at IDF 2013
10 April 2013, Shenzhen, China – ZTE today announced it has debuted the ZTE GEEK, the first ZTE smartphone powered by Intel's new 32nm Atom™ processor platform Z2580, at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) Spring 2013 at the China National Convention Center in Beijing.
The ZTE GEEK has a 5-inch HD screen with resolution of up to 1280x720. It runs on the Android Jelly Bean OS and has 8GB eMMC+1GBRAM. It also has an 8-megapixel rear camera, 1-megapixel front camera, an LED supplement light, and a 2300mAh large-capacity battery. The phone is powered by the Intel's new 32nm Atom™ processor platform Z2580, which has a CPU frequency of 2.0GHZ. Tests show that compared to Intel's previous processor, the Clover Trail+ processor is twice as fast for computing and three times as fast for graphics. It also reduces power consumption.
"Our recent collaboration with Intel on the ZTE GEEK builds off of the success of the Grand Series and further enhances our competitiveness in the high-end smartphone market," said ZTE EVP and Head of the Mobile Devices Division Mr. He Shiyou. "This partnership also will improve customer experiences by providing them with more choices in the market."
This year marks the seventh consecutive for the IDF in Beijing. It is Intel's premier event and also is a major event for the communications industry. ZTE also is showcasing its V98 tablet and Grand X IN smartphone at the IDF. Both devices use Intel chips.
ZTE has long emphasized the importance of user experiences. A key component of this is its longstanding partnership with Intel. When Intel first entered the mobile microchip field in 2012, ZTE released its first Intel-based smartphone, the Grand X IN, shortly thereafter. This allowed ZTE to become the first company to launch a flagship smartphone powered by an Intel processor in the European market. The Grand X IN later became become the best-selling smartphone in Austria.
Over the past two years, ZTE has stepped up efforts in the smart device arena. The new Intel phone is a significant component of the company's 2011 strategy to shift toward high-end products.
