Tech Info: ZTE

ZTE has launched a new smartphone, the ZMax, at an event in New York - pegging it as a low-cost large-screen alternative to the iPhone 6 Plus.

Chinese handset brand announced that the new ZTE ZMax will be exclusively available with T-Mobile starting September 24 at $0 down payment and paying $10.50 (roughly Rs. 650) a month for 24 months on T-Mobile's Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) or $252 (roughly Rs. 15,000).

The company confirmed that the ZMax will also be available via MetroPCS later this year. The new ZTE smartphone runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box with the company claiming that it is "nearly a stock version"

The ZMax smartphone offers single SIM support and features a 5.7-inch HD TFT LCD display with a 720x1280 pixel resolution. It also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

A quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8926) processor powers the device, clocked at 1.2GHz with an Adreno 305 GPU and 2GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, while there is a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, and can be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB).

The ZTE ZMax supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS/ A-GPS, 3G and 4G LTE connectivity options. It is backed by a 3400mAh battery, which according to the official site can deliver up to 14 hours of talk time and 360 hours of standby time. It is available in Black colour variant.

Commenting on the launch, Lixin Cheng, Chairman and CEO of ZTE USA said, "The ZMax is the latest example of ZTE designing devices with the user in mind. It has more battery life, more screen and more style but it does not cost you more. When customers see the unique look of ZTE smartphones and the technology, they are surprised our phones are a third of the cost of mainstream brands. We think the ZMax is going to be a great addition to T-Mobile's Un-carrier proposition and we are excited to have the ZMax on their network."

The Chinese handset maker, earlier this month at IFA, announced 3 new Android 4.4 KitKat smartphones - the Blade Vec 3G, Blade Vec 4G and Kis 3 Max.

Expanding its smartphone portfolio in India, ZTE launched the V5 smartphone at Rs. 10,999.

ZTE ZMax

KEY SPECS

Display

5.70-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

1.6-megapixel

Resolution

720x1280 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

8-megapixel

Battery capacity

3400mAh

See full ZTE ZMax specifications

Amidst a number of smartphone and tablet launches at IFA 2014 in Berlin, ZTE has announced 3 new Android 4.4 KitKat smartphones - the Blade Vec 3G, Blade Vec 4Gand Kis 3 Max.

The ZTE Blade Vec 3G will be priced at EUR 180 (roughly Rs. 14,100) and will start selling in Germany and might reach other regions later, while the ZTE Blade Vec 4G has been already launched in Turkey, France, Romania, Slovakia, Belgium, Norway and Sweden and is priced at EUR 230 (roughly Rs. 18,000).

The Kis 3 Max will launch in UK, Germany, Greece and Bulgaria with a price tag of EUR 100 (roughly Rs. 7,800). The launch dates for Blade Vec 3G and Kis 3 Max have not been detailed as of yet, as per GSMArena.

The ZTE Blade Vec 3G and Blade Vec 4G share features like Android 4.4 KitKat, a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution display, 1GB of RAM, a 2300mAh battery, GPS, an accelerometer, proximity sensors, and a rear panel coated in carbon fibre.

Differing from the Blade Vec 4G in some aspects, the Blade Vec 3G features a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MTK6582 processor, an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, a 5-megapxiel front-facing camera, and 8GB of inbuilt storage which can be expanded via microSD (up to 32GB). The smartphone measures 139.3x69.8x7.8mm. The connectivity options on the ZTE Blade Vec 3G include GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and FM radio.

The Blade Vec 4G on the other hand sports a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 8-megapixel or 13-megapxiel (region dependant) rear camera, and 1-megapxiel or 2-megapxiel (region dependant) front-facing camera. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage and 4G connectivity. Sized at 143x70.4x7.8mm, the handset's other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot and Direct functionality, apart from Bluetooth 4.0.

The Android 4.4.2 KitKat-based ZTE Kis 3 Max features 4.5-inch display with an FWVGA (480x854 pixels) resolution. The smartphone is powered by a dual-core MediaTek MTK6572 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, coupled with 512MB of RAM.

The handset sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with flash, while a 2-megapixel front-facing camera is also onboard. It includes 4GB of inbuilt storage with no word on its expansion. GPS, Bluetooth 3.0,Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and FM radio fall under the Kis 3 Max's connectivity options. ZTE Kis 3 Max is backed by 1850mAh battery, measures 132x66x9.1mm and weighs 135 grams.