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Chinese
telecommunications company ZTE has today released its first flagship
mobile device designed for the U.S. market. The 5.5 inch ‘Axon’ is the
latest product released by ZTE in an effort to push their brand abroad
and specifically in the U.S. The company worked together with a
Blackberry designteam to localize the project
The Chinese company is attempting to tap into a higher end
consumer pool, with the unlocked model retailing at $449.98. As the
fourth-largest handset provider in terms of total shipments, ZTE is
hoping to knock out LG to become the third-largest by 2020, following
Apple and Samsung.
“The U.S. is the most important market for us right now,” said Adam Zeng
CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices during a ZTE analyst conference on Monday.
CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices during a ZTE analyst conference on Monday.
“Consumers enjoy a higher standard in the
U.S. than in China,” he added at a press conference earlier today,
noting that the Axon is now the most expensive Chinese-branded handset
available in the U.S. market.
The phone is compatible with AT&T as well as T-Mobile
networks and features a high quality audio chipset and dual rear cameras
that are capable of capturing 4K video.
Despite being designed for the U.S.
market, the phone will also be released in China next week on the 21st.
Zeng also revealed that the Axon would hit stores in Europe within the
quarter.
ZTE officially launched an R&D team
in Canada late 2014, and also have and R&D presence in California as
well as other hubs in the U.S. The Blackberry design team
introduced several elements including hardware, with antenna
technologies being one of the major contributions from the Blackberry
team according to ZTE.
While ZTE has been selling its mobile
hardware under carrier brand names through white label agreements since
the early 2000’s, they only began selling ZTE branded products in late
2009, and have since made a strong move to expand in the US. Over the
past year they have extended their partnership with the NBA to now
sponsor 3 teams, while they rebranded earlier this year for a more
“youthful” look.
Zeng also noted that they would leverage
their launch in the US to expand their presence in the other 13 core
mobile markets they operate in. He also hopes the higher-end U.S.
presence will boost their brand back home, claiming that “Chinese consumers are becoming more and more choosy, they are not just looking at the price, they are looking at the quality.”
Image: CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices Adam Zeng speaking to press this morning/ ZTE Axon
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