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ZTE Nubia 5 hands-on (video)
In the US, unlocked devices like the Nexus 4 and the suite of Google Play editions are starting to become popular, as a growing number of consumers eschew the tradition of buying phones under subsidy in exchange for a two-year contract. As we mentioned two weeks ago, ZTE is putting a lot more effort into wooing this crowd by announcing two unlocked and unsubsidized phones: the $400 Grand S, which we played with at CES 2013 in January, and the $450 Nubia 5. Both handsets began shipping from outlets like Amazon yesterday, so one of these darlings can be all yours. We had a few minutes to play with the 5-inch Nubia 5 last night and came away with some good first impressions. Though it's not meant to be a high-end device, ZTE did a good job of giving it more of a premium look as well as a comfortable fit and finish. Its back cover consists of matte-backed plastic (although it sadly still attracts greasy fingerprints quite easily), while the top half of the sides are constructed with aluminum. It's also not going to set any records for being the thinnest device, but 7.6mm is actually ideal for our particular tastes -- it's still much more slim than most smartphones, and it's plenty easy to handle one-handed if you prefer. The 1080p display looks fantastic on the Nubia 5, and it provides good viewing angles (indoors, at least, but we don't know about how it looks in direct sunlight). It runs Android 4.1.2 and is surprisingly zippy, especially given the older 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro inside. We have a gallery and video of the Nubia 5 with its huge Houston Rockets logo (this is only a limited edition, and the other version is what we'll see as final hardware), as well as its logoless counterpart, which will be the model that ships to the consumers.
ZTE Grand S and Nubia 5 coming to US as unlocked devices October 16th
Thus far, ZTE's biggest reach in the US market has been tied to carriers, and the vast majority of its phones are sold as prepaid, white-label devices on the cheap. We rarely see any of the manufacturer's higher-end products on this side of the Pacific, however, and ZTE is ready to change that in time for the holidays with a pair of mid-range Android handsets that will be offered unlocked and without the influence of mobile operators. Both phones are going to be up for pre-order on October 5th through multiple online channels (the press release tells us "Amazon and other channels," so check your preferred retailer), and both of them will ship October 16th. First up is the Grand S, which made its global debut at CES last January (yes, ten months ago). It'll go on sale for $400 and will feature a 5-inch 1080p display, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera, 1,780mAh battery and 16GB total internal storage space. It will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (ZTE wouldn't give specifics on if or when we can expect to see an upgrade) and will offer a frame that's 6.9mm thin. Last but not least is the Nubia 5, which can be yours for $450. This one is a bit interesting, as ZTE tells us that this model is different from the Nubia Z5, although most of the specs (and its overall look) are the same. It runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and features a 5-inch 1080p display, 16GB of internal storage (as opposed to the Z5's 32GB), 2,300mAh battery, 13MP rear camera, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro and 2GB of RAM. The duo have HSPA+ radios (LTE isn't included) that are compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile, in case you have any allegiance with either.
