Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE is apparently preparing for the release of a new handset equipped with a display curved in a similar fashion to Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge’s screen. The mysterious device has been teased by ZTE’s marketing director Lu Qian Hao on the Chinese Sina Weibo network, who shared an image partially showcasing the smartphone’s display wrapping around the right-hand edge.
The teaser image (below) was accompanied by a farewell to the year 2016, and furthermore, the teaser image wishes everyone a “boundless” new year, which is likely yet another keyword hinting that the smartphone in question does indeed have a curved “edge” display. Unfortunately, up until now, there has been no indication of ZTE working on an “edge” design, so needless to say, the smartphone’s specifications are shrouded in mystery. However, seeing how the ZTE executive entered the New Year with the teaser image in tow, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if the company plans to officially unveil the device in the near future. Then again, the teaser image seems to have been short-lived and has been removed from Lu Qian Hao’s Sina Weibo page not long after it was published. Whether or not this series of events has any significance in regards to the smartphone’s availability is unknown.
ZTE is no stranger to teasers and/or mishaps in the form of leaks, and the company’s latest smartphone to hit the Internet in a semi-official manner was the Blade V8, which was briefly spotted on ZTE’s official website at the end of 2016. The page has since been removed, but cached images remain, disclosing the smartphone’s overall design. Needless to say, the ZTE Blade V8 and the mysterious “edge” device don’t seem to have a lot in common; at least not as far as the exterior design is concerned. Furthermore, the hardware specifications outed for the ZTE Blade V8 push the smartphone into the mid-range segment, so it could be that the mysterious “edge” handset might be reserved for the higher-end market. It’s worth noting that displays curved around the edges seem to become increasingly popular, and it’s very likely that more and more smartphone makers will make use of this technology in 2017.