ZTE isn’t a company the average US consumer is familiar with, and that’s largely due to the fact that ZTE’s devices aren’t as prominent here in the U.S. as they are in other regions. ZTE has been doing their part to alter this particular situation though and they’re beginning to make their brand more well known with the launch of numerous new devices, starting with the ZTE Nubia Z9, as well as the ZTE Axon which just launched today. More details about the Axon started showing up in the last couple of weeks when it hit the FCC and it was stated to be releasing today, and it seems those speculations were correct now that it’s been officially announced.
Just a few of days ago ZTE even put up the official website for the Axon only further confirming its impending launch. When it comes to high-end offerings, ZTE isn’t one to release handsets from that category in the states, but they certainly turned that notion on its head with the Axon. When it comes to specs the Axon is capable of holding it down with the best of the best, at least on paper. Specs wise the Axon is powered by the second iteration of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, so it should be bringing the heat, (no pun intended there) and it sports a 5.5-inch TFT LCD display with QHD resolution so the visual experience is no slouch either.
When it comes to the camera situation, the rear facing camera is a dual lens setup similar to what HTC did with the One M8, offering depth of field and bokeh effects thanks to the 13MP and 2MP lenses, and it can also shoot 4K video. It also features an f/1.8 aperture for better low-light shots, and it carries a dual LED flash. For the front camera it’s sporting an 8MP camera sensor with an 88 degree wide angle lens. Clearly it’s equipped to take some pretty decent shots from both sides. Another feature worth mentioning is the inclusion of the Hi-Fi sound which ZTE touts as being a first for the U.S. when it comes to smartphones. While the phone speakers themselves should be capable of putting out some great sound quality thanks to the boasted Hi-Fi features, ZTE has also boxed in some high-end JBL in-ear headphones to continue the audio experience when you want to shut out the world or listen privately. As for the rest of the hardware specs, it has 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and carries a 3,000mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 2.0 so all day use should be no problem, and even if the battery drains faster than one expects the Quick Charge can give it more than enough juice in a short span of time.
Overall ZTE seems to have brought out the big guns here with this device, and it comes unlocked with support for both T-Mobile and AT&T bands so using it with either carrier is possible. It’s styled quite nicely too, with a metal body and glass front protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The phone will be offered at AT&T and T-Mobile although there is no word on a price for either of those carriers. It will also be available unlocked, and can currently be pre-ordered from ZTE’s website as well as Amazon and other online retailers for $449.98 for the unlocked model, with shipments of it beginning July 27th in either Phthalo Blue, Ion Gold, Chromium Silver.