ZOPO is a Chinese manufacturer that has been around since 2012 producing some interesting devices. In the current rush for releasing high-end phones with ever more powerful hardware, the Shenzhen-based company is known for launching the first smartphone powered by an octa-core processor from Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek, the ZOPO ZP998 back in 2013. It seems like they want to innovate again and there have been rumors regarding their new flagship device, a handset powered by a deca-core processor also from MediaTek. A week ago we saw a purported image from the phone leaked by GizChina and the rumor had it the handset would be released not before Q1 2016. However, according to a new report also from GizChina, ZOPO may launch its new device sooner than expected, on September 15th, during an event in Barcelona, Spain.
If the company indeed pushes forward the announcement of its flagship, it wouldn’t be weird news, since Acer just unveiled a smartphone also powered by the same deca-core processor MediaTek Helio X20 and waiting until next year could leave them “behind” a powerful competitor. Other than the processor with ten cores, the device should be pretty standard for a flagship. The rumored specifications include 4 GB of RAM and a giant 6 inches screen with QHD resolution, a 20-megapixel camera, and a fingerprint scanner. From the leaked image, there is a very thin bezel with a metallic chassis. Although a SoC with ten cores won’t offer a substantial speed bump from what we have today in the market, it has some great advantages in managing power consumption, with sets of cores running at different clock speeds to optimize the processing power accordingly to performance requirements for each task.
Even though the device won’t offer anything special when compared to other similar smartphones, Zopo is known for making high-end handsets with a very appealing price, so, it may catch a consumer’s eye. For example, their latest flagship, the ZOPO Speed 7, comes with a 64-bit octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, Full HD screen and 13 MP camera for only US$199. The company teased the launch of a “new secret and exclusive device from ZOPO” on September 15th in Barcelona, so stay tuned for more news.