The ZTE Axon launched not too long ago we’ll happily admit surprised us. Not resting on its laurels, though, ZTE has today announced another couple of new additions to the lineup for both your pocket and your wrist.
The new phone is the Axon mini and it’s set to go on sale globally. The wearable is the Axon Watch and for now at least, China only.
The Axon mini is carrying the sort of hardware you’d expect to find in a good, mid-to-high-end phone in late 2015. Inside is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage with microSD card expansion and a 2800mAh battery. Camera wise we’ve got 13MP round the back and 8MP round the front. Facing you is a 5.2-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display. Funny how a “Mini” phone is now at 5.2-inches.
One of the more impressive sounding notes on the spec sheet however is the “body made from Boeing 787 aircraft-grade aluminum-titanium alloy.” So you’d expect it to be pretty tough as well as light. And as with the Axon Elite, there’s a fingerprint scanner round the back, too.
Availability wise the Axon mini will be on sale in a Premium and regular version. We’re not actually sure what the difference right now, but the Premium will run you for $439 or €389 while the regular Axon mini will cost $379 or €329. Add $20 or €20 for each of those last two in Rose Gold, while regular Gold or Silver will be cheaper. It’ll be available in “the coming months.”
The Axon Watch runs Tencent OS, developed in partnership between Tencent and ZTE, and will be available in China on October 27.
Check out the full press release below.
SHENZHEN, China–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ZTE, a leading global mobile device maker, today held a conference for its AXON flagship device series, during which the company talked about its flagship device strategy for the first time. At the same event, ZTE confirmed the global availability of the AXON mini, including the pressure-sensitive touch and NBA versions, and the AXON Watch for China.
“Devices in our ZTE AXON product lines are designed entirely with consumers in mind and to be the nerve center of everything they do”
“Devices in our ZTE AXON product lines are designed entirely with consumers in mind and to be the nerve center of everything they do,” said Adam Zeng, CEO, ZTE Mobile Devices. “Our high-end flagship strategy is now in full swing and we believe we have all of the ingredients to become a leading consumer electronics brand globally.”
For the first time, ZTE discussed its AXON flagship device product line-up, which consists of: AXON, AXON mini, AXON MAX, and the AXON Watch.
In addition to availability announcements for the AXON mini versions and the AXON Watch, ZTE also unveiled the AXON MAX – a larger-screen smartphone device with a bigger battery.
ZTE AXON mini
First unveiled in July 2015, ZTE’s AXON mini became the world’s first smartphone to come with a pressure-sensitive touch screen that recognizes different levels of touch pressure for enhanced functions and experience, such as interactive gaming, passwords and more.
ZTE’s AXON mini boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor and Adreno 405 GPU, a 2800mAh battery, 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, and support for up to 128GB SD card expansion. AXON mini sports a 13 megapixel camera at the back with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) that offers a focus time of just 0.1 seconds. At the front, AXON mini features an 8 megapixel camera with a 5P aspherical lens. AXON mini’s dual microphones are supported by an AKM4961 Hi-Fi audio chipset, delivering 32 bit high-fidelity (Hi-Fi) audio playback, as well as high quality sound recording.
With a body made from Boeing 787 aircraft-grade aluminum-titanium alloy, the AXON mini has both a premium look and feel and is just 3.5mm thin. At just 70mm wide, the AXON mini’s 0.85mm thin bezels allow the device to feature a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED FHD 2.5D curved-edge screen.
AXON mini’s voice search function can be activated within 1.2 seconds. It also comes with voice translation support for English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean, offering real-time voice translation. In addition, the AXON mini supports voice messaging and chat functions.
AXON mini supports three different biometric authentication options: fingerprint, voice control and eye-scan.
The ZTE AXON mini NBA version comes in a number of design options, featuring NBA images, and are loaded with a number of NBA services. The AXON mini NBA version is a result of a partnership between ZTE, the NBA and Tencent.
All versions of the ZTE AXON mini will be available to purchase in China online from ZTE’s own MyZTE store and JD.com, as well as offline from major retail outlets. In the coming months, the ZTE AXON mini will also be made available in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Japan, India, Australia, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain and Italy.
AXON mini will be available in three color options: Ion Gold, Chromium Silver and Rose Gold.
AXON mini (Premium Edition)
China: 2699 CNY
Asia-Pacific: 439 USD
Europe: 389 EUR
AXON mini
China: 2299 CNY (Ion Gold and Chromium Silver); 2399 CNY (Rose Gold)
Asia-Pacific: 379 USD (Ion Gold and Chromium Silver); 399 USD (Rose Gold)
Europe: 329 EUR (Ion Gold and Chromium Silver); 349 EUR (Rose Gold)
ZTE AXON Watch
Unveiled in July 2015, the ZTE AXON Watch features a 1.4-inch Gorilla Glass screen with sapphire coating and is IP67 certified. It comes with a 300 mAh battery, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB storage and Bluetooth 4.1. Developed by ZTE and Tencent, the smart watch runs on Tencent OS and supports both voice and gesture control.
The ZTE AXON Watch can be used for both fitness and health monitoring, and supports a range of other applications, from phone calls to messaging, including the popular instant messaging and social media platforms WeChat and QQ.
The ZTE AXON Watch will be available for purchase in China via ZTE’s own MyZTE store from 27 October.