A lot of smartphone manufacturers are based in China, and ZTE is one of the biggest China-based OEMs nowadays. Interesting fact, ZTE is the fourth biggest smartphone OEM in the U.S., at least according to Counterpoint Technology Market Research. This Chinese smartphone manufacturer is ranked below Samsung, Apple and LG as far as U.S. market goes. This is not enough for this company though, it seems like ZTE wants to increase its presence in the States.
ZTE is looking to grow its business on a global scale this year, and U.S. is definitely a part of their plans. ZTE has a lot of going for them, their patent portfolio is extremely strong, and they certainly have the financial power to make a serious push in the market. “Other companies may get a lot of news, but in terms of the U.S., we are the only Chinese manufacturer with a sizable market share,” said Waiman Lam, senior director for mobile technology and partnership at ZTE during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Mr. Lam said that their strong patent portfolio, carrier relationships and brand-building are the main reasons for the company’s success in the States. ZTE has paid approximately $17.4 billion in patent fees to Qualcomm, Microsoft, Google and Texas Instruments over the last four years, which is also something that Mr. Lam wanted to point out. ZTE plans to lure in consumers with their newly-announced handset, the Grand S3. The company has announced this device in China this year, and has showcased it at MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona.
As your probably already know, the ZTE Grand S features EveVerify’s EvePrint ID biometric authentication sensor, which basically lets you unlock your smartphone by scanning your eye (retina). This is the world’s first smartphone which sports such a scanner / feature. “”What differentiates you as an equipment manufacturer, from a customer perspective, is design and features,” added Mr. Lam. A lot of smartphone manufacturers are trying to leave their mark all over the world these days, and ZTE has a lot going for them at the moment, we’ll see what happens next.