By the end of July, ZTE announced a new smartphone line called Axon, which consisted of three models – Axon Pro, Axon Lux and Axon Mini. Although the company disclosed full details about the first two devices, the Mini version was a complete incognito if not for the name, as the only information ZTE released was that the phone would hit the markets “by the end of the year”. The mystery didn’t last long and in late August we got some leaked information regarding its specs, as the data came from their certification with China’s regulator TENNA. Until now, the only images of the device we had were 3D renderings from the certification document, but today we finally got some real images of the handset.
The overall visual is similar of that of its bigger brother – although it is not that small with a 5.2 inches display. It has the same metal art in the front and charging port, phone jack and front-facing camera in the same places. However, there are some key differences. First, the phone has virtual keys instead of the physical ones. Second, the Axon Mini has a fingerprint reader in the rear, right below the camera. Third, the device doesn’t have the same two-camera configuration of the Axon Pro. The phone is likely to be powered by the octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage. The Super AMOLED 5.2-inches screen has an 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution and the phone has an 8-megapixel front camera and 13 MP rear camera.
Although these specs are pretty good, the most important aspect of the phone is the Force Touch. If you are not familiar with it, it is a technology that allows the phone to detect the intensity of your touch, so, it is not only touch sensitive but also “press sensitive” and the intensity of your touch can bring different interactions with the system. Apple had all the buzz regarding the technology when they released the Apple Watch bundled with it. However, the first smartphone in history to come with Force Touch was the Mate S, from Huawei, released just a week before Apple unveiled their new phones with the same tech. ZTE lost the spot as both the first smartphone and the first Android with Force Touch, but still, it will be one of the first devices with such interaction. There aren’t any details regarding a release date, but ZTE can bring it live at any time now. The phone is expected to cost less than 313 USD (2000 yuan), so it will surely be a good bang for your buck with these specs.