Remember when LeBron James got his very own Galaxy Note 2 engraved with his name and showed it off to the world? It was a huge product placement for Samsung, and one that ZTE attempted to capitalize on for its own devices. Last NBA season Chinese Android manufacturer ZTE partnered up with the Houston Rockets to make ZTE the official smartphone provider for the NBA team, and it turned out to be a pretty big success for them as well. ZTE has been known mostly for its pre-paid mid-range and entry-level phones rather than for any big flagship devices, and it looks like they’re going to try to continue to change that view of the company and its products again by renewing the partnership for at least one more season with the Houston Rockets. Considering the popularity of the NBA in the US and the fact that ZTE has a lot of room for growth here, it makes a lot of sense to use such an outlet to get your name out there and present your products as worthy of an NBA player’s average income.
ZTE isn’t stopping there though, as it looks like they’ve had another partnership in the works that they’ve just announced today geared towards a different demographic: Red Bull. Yes the same Red Bull that gives you wings has partnered up with ZTE to give the company a more youthful appearance, with ZTE citing that it’s now a 16 year old company and needs a new look and feel. The translation doesn’t come out as well as the poster looks, reading something to the effect of “Positive Energy of Youth,” but it’s obvious where ZTE is trying to go with this. We know Red Bull loves to do crazy things like the yearly Flugtag where people build their own flying machine and attempt to not face dive down the side of a cliff with it. The new brand will be called ZTE Red Bull Mobile and will likely launch a few phones aimed toward such adrenaline junkies, and there might even be some crossover brands with the NBA sponsorship as well. ZTE has some pretty sweet phones coming out soon, including the Nubia X6 that’s got a pretty incredible looking camera with features like long exposure to boot.