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ZTE's Iconic Phablet comes to Boost Mobile as the Max, available today for $300
ZTE's Iconic Phablet may have been the worst-named product of CES 2014, but fortunately the company has told us it was merely a placeholder name. Despite it only having been unveiled three weeks ago, it's already making its way stateside under a much more reasonable (though predictable) name of Boost Max for Boost Mobile, one of Sprint's prepaid legs. The 5.7-inch 720p device is available starting today sans contract for $300, and it appears that the phone didn't lose its Multi-Window feature (which works with virtually every app on your device) on its way across the Pacific. It did, however, get bumped down to Android 4.1, two versions lower than the one we played with at CES. On top of this, you'll also get an 8MP rear camera with 1MP front-facing cam, LTE support, 3,200mAh battery and a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor. If you're disappointed by the name change for some reason, don't worry -- it can forever be an iconic phablet in your heart.
ZTE Iconic Phablet: a ridiculous name for large-screen fans on a budget (hands-on)
Regardless of what feelings you may have towards the term "phablet," as soon as it officially becomes part of the name of a device, you know that word isn't going away any time soon. It's just double the trouble when the phone in question is actually called the Iconic Phablet. As the name implies, the Phablet is a large smartphone with a 5.7-inch 720p display, but it doesn't seem that much different from the Grand S II, which is just two tenths of an inch bigger. It actually feels pretty comfortable to hold, despite the fact that it's slightly larger, taller and thicker, but the lackluster display is a bit of a disappointment unless it's marketed at a low price point. The feature we found most interesting on the phone was ZTE's version of Multi-Window, which the company threw into its half-stock, half-skinned version of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. We've seen this feature in the Galaxy Note series for a long time now, but ZTE's option doesn't require a developer kit, which means any third-party or native app will work just fine no matter what. The Phablet has a three-segmented back, with a standard grey plastic matte build on top and bottom and solid sheet of plastic sandwiched in between. You'll get an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1MP camera on the front, as well as a 3,200mAh battery, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 1GB RAM, Bluetooth 4.0+LE and a groan-worthy 8GB internal storage. Finally, the back features a trio of wireless charging pins that will work as long as you get the supported case that clips onto the phone (sold separately, of course). Curiously, ZTE tells us that the Iconic Phablet will offer a radio with LTE, CDMA and EVDO support, while GSM/EDGE and HSPA+ are nowhere to be found. We're told that there's a very good chance that this device will eventually be sold in the US, which means that it'll land on a CDMA carrier -- that is, unless ZTE comes out with a special version that makes it compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile. As with the company's other CES products, availability and pricing aren't known just set. We got a few minutes with the device and have uploaded it into our image gallery, and we hope to have a video of the device up soon.
ZTE comes to CES with voice-savvy Grand S II smartphone, fitness-ready BlueWatch
ZTE clearly wants to make its presence felt at CES this year; it's coming to the show with no less than seven devices. The Grand S II headlines the pack as the company's first smartphone with "high-precision" voice commands, which let you both unlock the phone and trigger the camera. The company is shy on other details, although we'd expect the Grand S II to have the best (grandest?) performance of ZTE's range. The company is also launching the 5-inch Nubia 5S and 4.7-inch Nubia 5S mini; just what they offer beyond the Nubia 5 isn't clear, but the larger 5S will have the horsepower to capture 4K video through its 13-megapixel f/2.0 camera. Frugal Americans will want to check out the Sonata 4G, a 4-inch budget phone launching on Aio Wireless with a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 400 chip, 1GB of RAM and a 5-megapixel shooter. An unnamed "iconic" 5.7-inch handset is also coming with a dual-core chip and wireless charging. A trio of accessories will debut at the same time. The company's promised smartwatch will launch as the BlueWatch, with support for both remote phone control and a built-in pedometer. ZTE is also promising a 4G-equipped hotspot and an AT&T Wireless Home Base that connects landline phones to the carrier's cellular network. Ship dates and prices aren't available for any of the CES introductions at this stage, but you can be sure that we'll get more details on the show floor.
